


Designation Star Crossed

by DesignatedDark



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: A/B/O, Alpha Ben Solo, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Canon Universe, Enthusiastic Consent, F/M, Fluff, Force Bond (Star Wars), HEA, Hux is naughty, Legends, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Minor Character Death, More plot, Non-Consensual Touching, Omega Rey (Star Wars), Omega Verse, One-Sided Poe Dameron/Rey, Possessive Kylo, Pre-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Project Blackwing - Freeform, References to Canon, Reylo - Freeform, Sith Lords (Star Wars), Star Wars Universe, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Fix-It, TKOR, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Threats of Violence, Violence, Zombies, no beta we die like men, some smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:20:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 53,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25494529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesignatedDark/pseuds/DesignatedDark
Summary: After Crait, the Force continues to connect The Last Jedi of the Resistance and The Supreme Leader of the First Order. While they struggle with love and separation on opposite sides of the war, a close threat challenges their loyalties and their lives. Through it all they know one truth - he is hers and she is his, no matter what.Or, a continuation of The Last Jedi timeline with Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics and the Knights of Ren tossed in. It’s a spooky, sexy, plotty ride with a mix of canon and legends. Let’s go!
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 78
Kudos: 191





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a nice short chapter to whet the appetite. I have no beta so all mistakes are my own and I’m cool with it. Chapters should be posted at least once a week and this is going to be a good size fic, so buckle up!
> 
> Also, note on the tags - the noncon touching is brief and over clothing and the threats are just threats - there will be zero sexual violence. I’m a fan of enthusiastic consent, always. I’ll make a note again when we reach chapters with these elements.

It had only been _two_ months. Two grueling lonely months since she’d seen him in the flesh.

The Force had only deemed it necessary to connect them twice in that time - once, during a meeting with Resistance leadership, and again while she was in the middle of the crowded mess hall half listening to Poe exaggerate another daring escape from a run in with the First Order.

Both times she was unable to do much more than lift her head and share a small smile. Even worse, when the bond did open, she was robbed of his incredible scent. His stifling, dangerous, uniquely _him_ scent. He was like the electric chill right before lightning strikes - earth and ozone and fire.

She thought of how it first hit her when he’d removed his mask in the interrogation room and she nearly forgot how to breathe entirely. Then, again, when they were standing less than an arm’s length away in the elevator on the _Supremacy_ and she couldn’t help crossing that little bit of distance toward him.

Not like she’d be able to smell him much now even if he was actually physically present. The suppressants she’d been on since Crait prevented her from being able to get more than a slight scent from anyone who wasn’t a beta. She’d experienced her first heat immediately after the escape, leading Dr. Kalonia to ask a series of increasingly uncomfortable questions and a matching uncomfortable realization - that _he_ had triggered it. She kept this information closely guarded.

  
  
Resistance members who had presented were expected to follow a mandatory suppressant schedule which allowed for two breaks a year. Mated pairs (and those unmated Alphas and Omegas who wished to share their time together) were able to schedule their breaks to match and retreat to shared quarters. Omegas and Alphas were housed in separate barracks on opposite ends of the base with betas mixed throughout. Being that the Resistance couldn’t afford to spare the credits for intravenous suppressants, pills were handed out, based on the designation indicated by a color-coded bracelet, with trays during the morning meal.

It seemed that of the three designations on base, betas were the majority, then Alphas, and only a small portion of Omegas. Rey was initially shocked to see how many of her fellow soldiers were half of a mated pair at such young ages, but the war likely persuaded faster pairings than during times of relative peace.

Although Rose was an Omega like herself and Finn was a beta, the two had eagerly agreed to share quarters alongside mated pairs. Though not unusual, the relationship would still occasionally meet with a snide comment that was quickly shut down by Rose’s fiery gaze. Seeing their budding relationship develop warmed her, but seeing them freely interact felt bittersweet. She knew she’d never be able to love openly like that with him.

Rey tried to stay busy around the base to keep her mind from wandering to the Force connections (or lack thereof). It wasn’t that she was unhappy being with the Resistance and enjoying her newly forged friendships... it just felt like she was _waiting_. 

Sometimes it even felt like the waiting was worse on D’Qar than it was even on Jakku. There were endless tasks to fill the time and most days she spent her idle hours toiling under whatever battleworn freighter or _X-Wing_ the Resistance had managed to acquire. At one point her obsessive mechanical work had become so much that BB-8 had to politely decline a maintenance check, as she had already compulsively checked him over twice that same day.

Finally, _finally_ the General broke down and gave her a small solo scouting mission to search out parts for the base’s busted older communicators. She quite literally ran to her room, giddy and bubbling over with excitement over the prospect of finally being reunited with Ben. She was getting ahead of herself assuming that he’d be able to even get away at such short notice, but the _possibility_ made her heart pound wildly.

She knew her own dulled scent was spiking as she rushed through the halls, drawing some curious glances from other Resistance members, no doubt wondering what had their resident Jedi in such high spirits. _If only they knew._

  
  
Lost in her thoughts, she managed to smack directly into Rose with considerable force, knocking them both to the ground.

“Rose! Oh Kriff, I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” Rey asked as she rubbed the wrist she landed on.

“If I knew being sent off on another boring scouting mission was going to make you even more lethal I would have steered clear!”

Rose’s face was lit up with laughter and Rey couldn’t keep herself from responding with her own round of giggles. Even suppressed she could lightly scent the bold citrusy flavor that surrounded her friend and it warmed her. No worse for wear, the pair got to their feet and started back down the hall toward her room.

Once their mirth had died down and the door to Rey’s room shut behind them, Rose turned to her with a glint in her eye.

  
  
“So… who’s the guy?”

Rey froze. Swallowing slowly, she stood up from where she was leaning over her pack and turned to her friend.

“Uh… what do you mean? I don’t- there’s no one… I just… like… scouting…?”

She was avoiding eye contact and vaguely gesturing with her hands in a completely _not_ suspicious way. Her poor attempt at denial made Rose burst into another round of laughter. Knowing she was a terrible liar and not wanting to use Force tricks on her friends, she decided the best course of action would be to tell the truth. Or rather, a partial truth.

  
“Ok ok, it’s someone I met on another mission. He’s not part of the Resistance and I don’t really want anyone to know yet… but, I _might_ be trying to see him while I’m on this mission.”

Rey sighed and let her eyes meet Rose’s once again. For a moment, neither said a word until something seemed to dawn on Rose, who abruptly broke the silence with a squeal.

“REY! ARE YOU SECRETLY MATED TO SOME MYSTERY SMUGGLER BECAUSE THAT IS SO KRIFFING ROMANTIC!”

Rey couldn’t help her body from leaning away from the force of Rose’s response and quickly shut her down with a much more hushed reply.

“Gods _no_! You know I’ve only ever had _one heat_ Rose, much less allowed some Alpha to bite me!”

Disappointment briefly marred her features before she flashed Rey with a knowing grin.

“Buuuuuut, if you were to let some Alpha claim you, would it stand to reason that it would be this particular Alpha?”

Rey couldn’t escape the blush crawling up her neck and onto her cheeks. Because she was going on the mission alone. Because she was hopefully going to see _Ben_. Because she was six months out from her first heat and it was time.

She took a deep steadying breath.  
  


“Yes.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey reflects on the first of several interactions she’s shared with Ben in the sixth months since Crait

Rose left for work duty shortly after Rey’s confession. She sat on the edge of her small cot with her head in her hands until her neck and shoulders started to protest from the lack of movement. Her eyes took in the hobbled together space that she had dutifully attempted to fill with as much green as possible. Her meager belongings all fit in her small pack and it unfortunately took her much less time than she hoped to ready for her mission the next day. 

The greenery she managed to sneak in (although she truly didn’t need to hide it) helped remind Rey that she was no longer in her AT AT on Jakku and instead back on the lush jungle planet the Resistance had escaped from only months before. General Organa had insisted that returning to the planet was a tactical move, even with the annihilated base still practically smoldering. The First Order wouldn’t look for them amongst the new graveyard of shipwrecks that now mixed with the planet’s natural asteroid belt. 

Their new base was almost on the complete opposite side of the planet in what used to be a secondary storage facility and hangar. The Resistance members had been able to set up basic accommodations with the vast amount of scrap metal that fell to the surface after the battle and enough of the planet’s natural resources thankfully remained untarnished enough that they didn’t struggle to obtain fresher food and clean water. She and a few others had attempted to seek out anything else salvageable from the area of the old base but the damage was just too extensive and they returned empty handed every time. 

Being on a jungle planet also meant that Rey wasn’t able to use the hotter hours of the day to train. It was now coming up on late afternoon and it would still be a few hours until the evening meal was ready. Resigned, Rey scooted further into her makeshift bed and attempted to quiet her mind. She thought about her upcoming mission, her upcoming heat and of course, _Ben_ , and all that had passed between them since Crait and the first time she was physically in his presence again after the throne room. 

  
  
  
  


**_One week after Crait_ **

  
  
  


She had planned to keep the bond closed as tightly as possible after leaving him kneeling in the blood red salt, too terrified to open it and see the broken man she thought understood her heart.

Unfortunately, her body had other ideas and she suffered her first heat. It was an excruciatingly empty experience and it took considerable strength for her to focus on blocking him out while being subjected to her designation’s biological warfare.

On the very last day, exhausted and overwhelmed, she accidentally let her mental defenses slip. The second the walls dropped she felt him. His presence rushed in and bombarded her with distinct tones of shock, awe and… something warmer? She couldn’t grasp that emotion as vividly and it was gone before the Force connected the bond completely. There, standing tall and broad and impossibly handsome, was Ben. Not Kylo. Ben. _Her Ben._ She shook her head quickly to rid the possessive thought before it could leak over to him. If he seemed startled by her frazzled appearance he didn’t let it show. The moment his deep brown eyes met her hazel ones his entire body seemed to sag with relief. Then his expression hardened and he remedied his stance. 

“Still with those murderers, traitors and thieves? Tell me Rey, how are the last few remaining fools of my mother’s cause? Still desperately clinging to the hope that the last Jedi will rid the galaxy of all those monsters?”

Rey was too struck by the deep calming timbre of his voice to focus on his words. After several seconds she realized he was still staring at her expectantly. 

“Hope? What should we cling to if not hope? Sometimes that’s all we have. But Ben, I’m not a Jedi and I was wrong - you’re not a monster, not truly. I shouldn’t have said that to you.”

“Do _not_ call me by that name! Ben is dead. He was weak and foolish like his father and I killed them both. There’s no light left here and you do us both a disservice pretending otherwise.”

“Your father wasn’t weak! He _loved_ you. Your mother still does. And I…”

She couldn’t finish that sentence. Her breath caught and her vision started to blur with the tears threatening to fall. She couldn’t look at him like this and turned before the traitorous wet tracks shamed her. 

“... Rey. I offered you my hand. _You_ rejected _me_.”

The change in his tone made her whirl to face him.

“Nnnoo - _no_ . I… I didn’t reject _you_. I can’t let go. My past, my parents, Jakku. I can’t. It’s what brought me here and it’s why I am who I am. Your past is not so easily untangled Ben. The past isn’t an enemy you can cut down. Surrounding yourself with ghosts isn’t a life. I can’t live like that and neither can you. I mean it, I didn’t reject _you_ , I wanted to take your hand, more than I’ve ever wanted anything. I wanted… I _want_ the hand you offer as Ben, not Kylo.”

She let the tears fall freely and felt his turbulent emotions at her confession. His gaze fell to the ground and his next words were barely above a whisper.

“All I can offer anyone is Kylo. That’s all that’s left. I can’t be anything else. I can’t be what you want.”

  
He sighed a shaky breath and tugged a gloved hand through his inky black locks. Neither said anything else for several more tense minutes until the Force mercifully severed the connection. 

  
  


“... You’re what I want…” Rey whispered to the empty room. 

  
  


She left the bond open just a crack after that. She couldn’t bear to be parted from even this tiny sliver of his presence after seeing him again.

  
  


It was two days later while she was working underneath a battered _X-Wing_ that she felt the tug, which promptly made her smack her head into the bottom of the ship, knocking her clean out. When she woke up groggy and disoriented in the medbay, she was almost certain she saw him standing in the shadows like a wraith before she blinked hard and he was gone. 

The next day she felt the tug again. He appeared suddenly in the middle of a thankfully empty hallway. Their eyes took eachother in before he glanced away from her and toward the floor. 

“Why do you still hold on to hope for me? That there’s light left? Do you still believe I’ll turn so easily?”

He sounded like he was murmuring to himself rather than her. When he looked up again, she knew her eyes were warm on his. 

“I saw your future. I know you’ll turn. I can still feel the light in you Ben. It’s always been there and not even Snoke could smother it out completely. Let me help you. _Please_.”

The last word conjured up a memory of Ben’s gloved hand extended toward her. Another desperate plea between them. His eyes were intense and he seemed to be mulling something over but he didn’t speak again and a moment later he was gone. 

  
  
  


That night, desperate to sleep, she tried to picture Ahch-to. As the waves started to pull her under, she thought she might have felt someone else’s warmth beside her but her eyes were too heavy and she succumbed to sleep.

Several hours later, she awoke with a start and jerked up, frantically reaching out. Her hands met the warm solid shape crowding her into the wall on the small cot. The action also served to startle the shape and she found two large hands gripping her slender wrists. Their breaths came in heavy pants and neither removed their hold on the other.   
  


Rey sucked in a breath at the realization of just how close they were. Without the adrenaline of a fight to distract her she could linger in the intimate space between them, feeling the heat emanating from his muscled body.   
  


He released his grip carefully, letting his hands slide softly over hers. Cautiously, he twined their fingers together and Rey sighed at the contact. She caught the way his gaze moved to her lips for a beat too long before flicking back up to her eyes. 

“Ok, Rey. I’ll try.”

Before she could process what he was really agreeing to, his weight vanished and she was left alone once again. 

  
  


  
  


The next time he appeared she had been in the mess hall sitting across from Finn and Poe who were both wrapped up in a discussion about nerf steak. She tried to discreetly look around before a small weight was pressed into her hand and his hot breath right next to her ear made her shudder. 

“Meet me on Naboo.”

When she opened her hand she found a small commlink. She turned to him with her mouth opened in surprise but found he’d already disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the encouragement on the first chapter! Naboo and the first physical face to face interaction after Crait is up next! 
> 
> Also, I’m obviously taking liberties here with certain aspects of canon/legend... just go with it and enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey recollects the first time she saw Ben again in the flesh after Crait - when he asked her to meet him on Naboo after a gala.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: this chapter has some light non consensual touching, just a heads up 
> 
> This one was a doozy so I ended up splitting it into two parts - enjoy!

One of the last official acts the Senate had agreed upon before the destruction of Hosnian Prime was legal separation guidelines for mated pairs. The vast systems of the galaxy were hard pressed to agree on most issues that came up in the Senate and at times fought viciously, but one law for Alpha/Omega mates was passed universally - **a mated pair cannot be forcibly separated**. The pair must both bear a claiming mark (however this presents to the respective species) to show the bond is not only complete, but mutual. While beta pairings and beta/Omega or beta/Alpha pairs are recognized in most worlds, the biological and emotional reaction to separation is considered outright excruciating for mated Alpha/Omegas, and the senators agreed the law needed to prevent that. 

It was quickly realized that the language of the law made it so that protection only extended to _established_ pairs and didn’t provide the freedom to _seek out_ a mate. This led slavers and criminal organizations to purposely prevent certain designations interacting at all. Further still, because betas were physically unable to give or carry a claiming mark, beta matches were largely treated the same as they always had been - married couples were separated easily and often. 

Leia Organa herself had championed for more protections for all designations, including the ability and freedom to seek a mate, during her time as a senator. Some believed she did so as a result of her own marriage, as her husband Han Solo was a beta. Others believed she was trying to rectify the tragedy that resulted from her Alpha grandfather and Omega mother being kept apart, though she never discussed it. She did, however, spend a great deal of time pushing for Omega protections as a tribute to her biological mother, despite being an Alpha herself. Her dedication to these causes did not waiver after she stepped away from the Senate and she carefully added them to her hopes for all the Resistance could accomplish if - _when_ they won the war. 

  
  
  
  


_**Naboo, one month after Crait**   
_

Naboo was to host a gala where the bored elite of the galaxy could come together and spend their considerable wealth on pet projects and feign interest in charitable causes. Losing substantial credits gambling and engaging in all manner of sin on Canto Bight was a common distraction, but even the upper crust needed to occasionally prove they held other interests. General Organa and select members of the Resistance would be attending, officially, to seek funding for Omega slaves in outer rim worlds, and unofficially, to lobby for support from the current Queen after the heavy losses suffered on Crait.

A small envoy, mostly for ease of movement but also because the Resistance was significantly smaller now, had traveled in one of the only remaining shuttles to the capital city of Theed. Their meager group consisted of the General, Rey, Poe, Finn, Rose, Jessika and Kaydel. 

As soon as the shuttle broke atmosphere, Rey was pressed up against the glass to take in the planet she had heard so much about. She recalled stories whispered in Niima outpost of beautiful ornate queens and dashing Jedi Knights valiantly battling against oppressive forces, both seen and unseen. She never imagined a nobody orphan from a nowhere planet would see those fantasy worlds. Takodana was beautiful, but Naboo was truly a wonder. 

Even though Leia still owned substantial inherited properties nearby, Queen Valliana requested that she and her party stay at the palace. The shuttle was greeted by the Queen and her handmaidens, as well as members of Her Majesty’s guard. Rey was startled by just how _young_ the monarch was. She must have been several years younger than herself but possessed an instinctive grace that she could never hope to emulate. Her gown was a massive wrap of embroidered silks and jeweled edges and it seemed every movement presented another fine layer of fabric. Her hair was twisted into an intricate pattern around a delicate comb that perched precariously on one side of her head. Even with the gown and hair in place, the most striking feature was her stark white painted face. Two small dots adorned her cheeks and a bold red stripe split her bottom lip. 

Belatedly, Rey realized she was still standing while the rest of their party had ducked into respectful bows. She attempted to join them with some semblance of a curtsy but only managed to topple over onto the cold stone steps. Mortified, she scrambled to her feet and lifted her head to see that the Queen’s elegant features had lifted into a genuine smile. 

“It is a great advantage I am allowed, not being troubled to perform a curtsy myself, as I am sure I would meet a similar result.” 

Her voice was youthful but bold and with a hint of amusement. Rey couldn’t help but meet her grin. 

  
  


The group was then led through the elegant property to a wing reserved for guests of state. Individual rooms were appointed, with the exception of Finn and Rose, who opted to remain together as they did on base. Rey noticed with trepidation that all designations were mixed on the same floor.

Before leaving the base that morning, Dr. Kalonia had assured her that her scent, while still slightly stronger, had diminished enough after almost a month on suppressants that a similarly suppressed Alpha wouldn’t take untoward interest in her and she tried to relax. After presenting so late, she had initially felt again like that scared little girl who was abandoned to a lonely sand planet and didn’t yet know how to protect herself. _No._ She was strong. She defended herself for years. She had the Force. She had her friends. 

Not for the first time, Rey wished she had been able to repair the lightsaber that tore itself apart rather than choose between her and Ben. She felt for her staff behind her and was immediately met with the familiar comforting weight. She’d be fine. She was a beacon of hope. The so-called Last Jedi (even if she wasn’t sure that accurately described who she was now) could handle this. 

  
  


Once in her room, rather the _apartment_ set aside for her, she tried to take in the borrowed oppulence. Fabrics, curtains and tapestries covered every spare corner, in colors she’d never seen and softness she’d never felt. She immediately reached out to run her hands over the many duvets piled on the massive four poster bed in the center of the main room and blanched a bit when she felt a callous pull at the fine silk. She quickly dropped her staff and hopped up onto the plush mattress. An audible groan escaped her lips as she allowed herself to fall into the most blissful sleep she had experienced in her entire 19 years. 

  
  


A series of frantic raps at the door ripped her out of slumber just a short time later. Before she could untangle her legs from the fine cocoon she’d wrapped herself up in, two droids and Rose rushed into the room. 

“You cannot seriously be sleeping right now! We’re going to a ball! I mean, full of horrible people, but still, a _ball!_ Get up and just look at the amazing gowns the General herself pulled for us!”

Rose practically vibrated with excitement and Rey finally noticed the massive garments carefully perched on the arms of one of the droids. 

“Dear Miss Rey of Jakku, I am C-4LO, a protocol droid in service of Her Majesty. These garments belonged to the late Lady Padmé Amidala and Princess Leia has requested that you and Miss Rose Tico select one for each of you to wear to the gala tonight. Allow me to introduce G-97, your personal beauty assistant droid. They will be able to assist you more thoroughly once a selection has been made. Do enjoy your time with us and allow me to assist if any other needs arise. Good day ladies!” 

With his speech over, the girls were left with a mass of endless silk and organza gowns and the most terrifying threat of all - the beauty droid. Rey gulped. 

  
  


Eventually, Rey gave up. The gowns were too fine and she was too intimidated to make a choice. Rose, having selected a breezy lavender gown for herself immediately, squealed with delight at the chance to dress her friend. She carefully considered each choice, muttering to herself about skin tones and elegant lines before finally pulling out a tight black gown. Rey frowned. 

“Now wait, trust me! You have the perfect figure for this and it comes with matching arm coverings. Plus, you’ll look absolutely terrifying and hardly have to say one word to anyone all night!”

Rey laughed and agreed that not having to engage in conversation all night was worth any gown choice. 

After being mercilessly poked and prodded by G-97 (she likes her body hair just where it is _thank you)_ for a few hours too long, both women had emerged as more extravagant versions of themselves. Rey noted that both gowns were indeed a good fit, although Rose would need to wear some precarious footwear to make up for the length of hers. She thanked the Gods that she appeared to be slightly taller than Padmé and would be able to wear comfortable flat shoes. The dress was snug around her frame with a neckline that showed off her small bust and an attached strip of fabric connecting the top to a cuff around her neck. Without the added full length arm coverings she would have felt much too exposed, but overall she thought Rose was absolutely right - she looked intimidating. _Perfect._

A knock at the door signaled that the rest of their party was ready and they hastily joined them in the hallway. Poe of course looked completely confident no matter what he was dressed up in - an extension of his Alpha personality. Jessika similarly appeared perfectly at ease even though Rey knew she would have preferred to just wear her old pilot garb. Both she and Kaydel were draped in bright ombre gowns with bare shoulders and strategic cut outs over their midsections. Their hair had been twisted and plaited into elaborate styles matching the ones G-97 had given Rose and herself and their faces were similarly painted up. Rey tried in vain to stifle a giggle at the sight of Finn tugging at his collar and looking very uncomfortable in his formal wear. He fixed her with a look. 

“ _You’re_ sure laughing a lot for someone dressed up like Kylo Ren’s darkside bride!” 

Rey prayed the heavy makeup covered her crimson cheeks. The remark earned him a round of barking laughter from the others before everyone seemed to remember whose company they were sharing. Finn’s eyes immediately met a very interesting spot on the ground as Leia emerged from behind the group, elegant and poised as always. She wore a crisp deep navy dress with long bell sleeves woven through with tiny shimmering glass beads. Every inch the Princess, she merely dismissed the murmured excuses and approached Rey. 

“My dear, I believe what our friend Finn here was attempting to say is that you look beautiful _and_ deadly - the perfect combination for an event like this.” She winked before turning back to the other Resistance members. “I’m so pleased to see how nicely you all clean up! You boys look dashing and all, but the real stars here are giving life to my mother’s old dresses!” 

Rey almost thought she saw her swiftly brush a tear away as she admired each fine gown, but the moment passed just as quickly and soon she was turning away again, gesturing for them to follow her toward the gala. 

Rey noted that her hairstyle had not deviated from the one she started wearing since Han’s death.

  
  


The ballroom matched the rest of the palace - elegant, ornate and absolutely breathtaking. Rey audibly gasped at the wonder before her. She could hear the other Resistance members making similar sounds of appreciation for the large room. Distracted, she nearly missed the first marble step before being firmly gripped around the elbow by Poe. 

“Easy there Jedi! We don’t want to bang up the goods before we get to show them off to all the fancy pants here now do we?” 

He flashed her one of his signature grins as she regained her balance. She noticed that his hand lingered a few moments too long before he released her. It’s not that she didn’t think he was attractive and his muted scent (a warm spicy cinnamon) wasn’t offensive or anything… but he just wasn’t _him._ Her stomach clenched at the thought of finally seeing him in the flesh again. 

  
  
  
  


She had been too anxious to immediately turn on the small two-way commlink he’d placed in her hands during their last connection. After agonizing for two full days, she swallowed down the lump in her throat and shakily flicked the switch to transmit. 

“... uh… hi? He-hello?” 

Rey had no idea what she was supposed to say. She smacked a hand against her face and started to dwell on her ineptness before a small click, static, and then -

“ _Rey.”_

  
  
  


Ben suggested she slip away after the gala and join him at one of the nearby humble village homes still held by the Naberrie family. She had hesitated to agree, terrified for a half second that all of this could be a trap set by the First Order. She shook those thoughts from her mind. He wouldn’t do that to her. She would have known if he was lying through the bond. He entreated her again to trust him and trust that he would keep her safe. Somewhere deep inside she felt a whisper of _Yes, Alpha will protect us_ and quickly promised to comm him when she was able to get away. 

  
  
  
  


She felt for the small device tucked inside her tight dress and anticipation tingled through her limbs. Just a few more hours. She took a few deep steadying breaths and focused again on descending the staircase, not wanting to provide Poe with another opportunity to assist her. 

  
  


The ballroom was full of glittering formal wear and a multitude of species - some of whom she was familiar with enough to speak in their native tongue and some she couldn’t even guess what planet they originated from. The majority of guests appeared to be humanoid and unmistakably wealthy. She was relieved to find that most of the guests appeared to be either betas or obviously suppressed and the overall aroma of the room was a pleasant mix of soft perfumes.

  
  


An attendant approached and offered pink bubbly drinks to each of them, which she accepted gladly and attempted to toss back in one big gulp. _Mistake._ She abruptly coughed a majority of the liquid back at the man, covering his shocked expression and drawing the eyes of everyone in the immediate vicinity. She tried to clear her watering eyes and stutter out half formed apologies before the room fell into a hush. She was saved from her incredibly embarrassing display by the arrival of Queen Valliana and her handmaidens. 

Rey managed to avoid any other very obvious displays of social effrontery and did her best over the next few hours to mingle. She made a concentrated effort to try each and every food served - one, because it would be a shame to waste food and two, because it kept her mouth too full to engage in conversation. Besides the occasional scan of surface thoughts to pinpoint possible Resistance sympathizers, she didn’t draw any attention to the fact that she was a Force user. Her thoughts constantly fell back to Ben. She tried not to reveal how anxious she was feeling and constantly worried someone would be able to read the planned treachery on her face. 

Poe had repeatedly petitioned her to join him in a dance, which she consistently declined. Once, he was bold enough to grasp her hand and start to tug her body against his before she instinctively brought her elbow up and just barely missed breaking his nose. He threw his head back in a loud guffaw and held up both hands in mock surrender. 

“Ok ok! I read you loud and clear - do not try to sneak a dance out of Rey - no need for bodily disfigurement!” 

  
He continued to chuckle to himself and left her to presumably seek out another more willing dance partner. Rose darted past him toward her, gifting him a very obvious eye roll in the process. 

“Hey! So the General said she’s retiring for the night and Finn is basically dead on his feet and ready to head to bed himself - which I am _definitely_ not! We’ve schmoozed enough for the night, whatsay we grab a few more drinks and let loose a little?” 

Rose winked at her conspiratorially and Rey was all too happy to nod her assent. She knew Ben wasn’t expecting her for a few hours still and reasoned a little liquid courage might help calm her racing thoughts. 

“That sounds _perfect_ and I promise not to repeat the very accurate fountain display from earlier…”

She grimaced at the memory before heading off to find another, definitely different, attendant. It took a few minutes to find one and she was disappointed to see he held an empty tray. He requested she stay put while he replenished his supply and scurried off toward the bar area.

  
She let her thoughts wander again until an abrupt wall of revolting odor threatened to trigger her gag reflex. She whipped around to find a portly human leering at her. _This Alpha is not suppressed_. 

“My my, look at you. _Little Omega_ , you smell sweet enough to eat. Positively juicy. Much stronger than the others - and _ripe.”_

Rey was so startled by the unceremonious words that she couldn’t form a reply. Her silence only served to encourage him to continue. He took a swayed step toward her before reaching out with one grubby hand to painfully grasp her arm and start to haul her toward one of the exit doors. 

“Wait, n-noo, no! Let go of me!” 

She struggled to free herself as panic dawned. She instinctively clutched for her staff… which was definitely still in her room. 

As she reached out for the Force, a loud **CRACK** rang out and she stumbled backwards. A sizeable hand gripped her waist before she could topple completely and she spun to face the source. The first thing she saw was the Alpha curled up on the floor clutching a very obviously broken arm.

The second thing was a very tall, very broad, very dangerously pissed off Ben Solo. 

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second part of their meeting on Naboo. Enter sweetie pie Ben Solo and some Aldeeranian hair braiding.

His brown eyes met hers and she saw the murderous glint he was sporting soften into concern. _Alpha protected us. Soothe Alpha._ She impulsively lifted her hand to his cheek. Before she made contact, the sniveling lesser Alpha interrupted. 

“WHAT THE KRRIFFING HELLSSS, THAT LITTLE BITCH WASSS PRACTICALLY BEGGING FOR A KNOT SSSMELLING LIKE THAT! SHE’S UNCLAIMED, SH-SHE’S FAIR GAME!” He was clutching his injured arm and slurring from a mix of the pain and too many drinks. 

Even without the bond she could feel the righteous fury rolling off Ben. His jaw and fists were clenched as he bared down on the man. His scent was spiking rapidly and other Alphas standing nearby instinctively stepped back. _Soothe Alpha._ Her palm moved the rest of the way to connect with his cheek. 

“Ben.” 

His muscles reacted first, automatically loosening his previously stiff stance. The choking rage started to slip away and he summoned the control for a firm, unrelenting command. One that could not be disobeyed. 

“ _You will not touch her or any other Omega against their will again or I will remove your hands to rid you of the temptation entirely.”_

The combination of the Force and the superior Alpha were too much to resist and the man dully repeated the words back before scampering off to lick his wounds. With the entertainment lost, the other party-goers went back to their conversations - except for a handful of Omegas, who seemed to be drinking in the sight of the prime specimen in action. She felt a possessive streak run through her. _Alpha is mine._

She wanted to pull him to her, thank him, ask him how he smelled so kriffing amazing and was she _good-_

**“** Ben, you need to get out of here!”

  
Oops. That wasnt what she meant to say at all. His mouth pulled into a frown. He started to shift from one foot to the other, dragging a hand through his hair. 

“I’m sorry I just… just he had his hands all over you and I could _feel_ how scared you were and I- it was like I couldn’t control myself. I didn’t mean to frighten you and I understand why you want me to leave, it’s ok.”

“I, I me-meant you could be recognized!” 

She started shoving him toward one of the outdoor terraces, glancing around wildly in anticipation of the terrified screams of _IT’S KYLO REN! THE SUPREME LEADER OF THE FIRST ORDER IS HERE!_ that were surely going to erupt any second. 

“I wasn’t frightened - not of you. I froze up and you _saved_ me. Thank you, for protecting me.”

Now in the safety of the terrace, she heard Ben start to chuckle. 

“And what exactly is so funny?” She set her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. 

“Rey. It might have escaped your notice, but I wear a _mask_. Not a single person in this room has seen me without it except for you. To everyone else I’m just another rich jerk throwing away credits on fake humanitarian causes.” 

“... I guess when you put it that way - wait! Your mother is here! Finn is here! They have both definitely seen… oh, Nevermind actually, they both went back to their rooms already… and hey, some of these causes really _are_ important!” 

She was unconsciously pressing her finger into his broad chest now. He grasped her hand gently before she could move away. 

“Does that mean you’re not happy to see me then?”

He was staring intently at her now. His rich scent wrapped around her, slowly and sensually caressing her, putting her at ease, beckoning her closer. Something was unfurling inside her now… something she hadn’t felt since… she took a deep breath through her mouth. 

“Of course I am! All I could think about since the moment I got here was seeing you again and you’re here and you stopped that disgusting Alpha!” 

His hand suddenly tightened around hers. 

“Where were your friends? Someone should have been with you, you smell… incredible. You smell incredible, Rey.” 

He leaned in a fraction and closed his eyes. Her Omega _preened._ _Alpha is pleased._ She also leaned in, his body heat enticing her to be as close as possible. 

The doors to the terrace swung open. 

“REY! You disappeared! What happened-“

Rose stopped in her tracks. For a moment Rey was alarmed that she recognized Ben before her friend’s face split into a huge grin.   
  


“Ohhh I _see_. You’re really taking this letting loose thing seriously! Well, I won’t wait up. Have fun kids!” 

Before either could react she winked and swept back through the doors, shutting them behind her. 

The whole scene was so ridiculous that the laugh just fell out. Ben broke out into an actual smile and laughed right with her. This was the first real smile she’d seen and she immediately wanted to make it happen as often as possible. 

“Do you still want to go to your family’s house? I have a room here if you wanted.. I mean, not with the bed… well, it has a bed obviously but I don’t mean to like _use -_ especially on the same floor as your mother…”

She knew her face was turning ten different shades of red and hoped the shadows were hiding the worst of it. Soft fingers lifted her chin and they made eye contact again. 

“Of course I’ll accompany you to your room, to _talk_ , if you’d like. I can dampen my Force presence so my mother won’t be aware.” 

Rey sighed in relief at his gentle understanding and tugged him back toward the extravagant ballroom and the promise of actual undisturbed time together 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Moving about the palace with Ben felt like she would have been more confident trying to smuggle a happabore into her room. He wasn’t even trying outwardly to be discrete but she could feel his absence in the Force due to his cloaked signature. 

  
  


When they reached her room and quietly latched the door, she let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding the entire frenzied sprint down the corridor. She slid down and let her legs splay beneath her. 

  
“Did something happen after Crait? You, uh, smelled nice enough before then but now… you’re, forgive me.” 

He seemed almost pained and was repeatedly clenching and unclenching his hands. 

“I’m what?”

A million insecurities flew through her. _You do not please Alpha._ Traitorous tears started to cloud her vision. _Of course you smell awful. He’s a sophisticated Prince and you’re a dirty skinny sand rat._

“You’re _intoxicating_. You’re the most amazing thing I’ve ever scented. I can barely think. Even on the suppressants Snoke forced on me, you break through.”

  
When he saw that she wasn’t about to turn away in disgust, he continued.

“You smell like… Chandrila. We had a garden behind the house that I used to sit and read in. After it rained and the sun came out and warmed the earth. You smell like the sun. Like the sun inspiring every exquisite flower to bloom.” 

She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t form a coherent thought. No one had ever described her with words anything like that and she wanted so badly to believe he was being truthful. Her struggle must have filtered over the bond and she felt his sincerity as his eyes held hers. It was too much and not enough all at once and she tore her gaze away, overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment.

  
“These rooms are familiar. My mother used to drag me to the palace whenever her work called. I used to wander around a lot. My grandmother is entombed here but I never actually summoned the courage to visit her as a child. Honestly, I’m not sure I could do it now either.”

“This is one of her dresses” she blurted out. 

When he didn’t say anything, she chanced a glance back at him. He was taking her gown in, maybe for the first time since the ballroom. 

“It doesn’t suit you.” 

Her jaw fell open. 

“I mean that as a _compliment_. I don’t believe it would have truly suited my grandmother either. You and her are alike in many ways I suspect, both beautiful and strong. That dress, that hair, that makeup, it clouds you.”

“... Go on…”

She struggled back to her feet. He took several steps toward her until she could once again feel the heat radiating from him. 

“For one, how could you fight in this?” He reached out and boldly placed his hand on the collar of her neck cuff. “Two, your freckles are completely covered…” He raised his hand to ghost over one cheekbone. “And three, there is absolutely no way that that hairstyle is comfortable.” He dropped his hand with a light chuckle. 

“My mother is from Alderaan, as you know. There are… certain customs that were passed down through nobility there, one of which, that I unfortunately had to learn as a child, was the language of braids.” 

“Is that why she wears her hair like this?” 

She flashed a quick image over the bond of the style she had adorned since… since… since her husband died. Ben grimaced. 

“Yes. That’s a mourning braid.” 

The regret coming off him was suffocating. 

“Ben… can you help me take this out?” 

She meant to distract him but the look on his face was absolutely bewilderment. His Adam’s apple bobbed and he suddenly appeared unsure of himself.

“Uh. Well. I should… on Alderaan, the uh, most intimate act between lovers was taking their beloved’s hair down. I used to watch m-my father take down my mother’s hair. Are you sure you want me to?”

“It has to be you then. I wouldn’t want anyone else to do it.”

  
She walked over to the vanity stool then and sat with her back to him. She heard him gulp before he placed himself behind her.

Despite his size, his unsuspectingly agile hands worked her hair in gentle, soothing strokes. His movements were confident and she felt the tightness finally leave her scalp. As the last pin was removed, she groaned. His practiced fingers drifted slightly then and brushed up against her mating gland, eleciting a burst of scent and a more feral, heady groan from her chest. 

She pivoted to look at him and met blown, black pupils. He stumbled backward a few steps, suddenly lost his footing and dropped to the ground. She clambered out of the stool to make sure he was alright… but her feet got tangled up in her borrowed dress, pitching her forward and down onto him. The fabric of her skirts bunched up around her, revealing slender sun-kissed legs. She heard his breath catch before his hands swiftly jerked up to steady her body against his. Rey was close enough to feel the pulse in his neck... to smell that intoxicating blend of him. She leaned in to press herself _closer-_

-and Ben abruptly jumped to his feet before roughly depositing her on the nearby bed. He stood completely frozen for several long moments, not meeting her stunned expression.

  
  


When he finally spoke, it wasn’t at all what she expected.   
  


“Would you let me braid your hair? Just… something simple, for bed. If you like.” 

She nodded but didn’t speak. He moved behind her on the bed, his weight tossing her body back against his briefly, before he started working her hair. After a few moments, he tied his work off and gently kissed the crown of her head. 

“Thank you for agreeing to see me today Rey. I... enjoyed it. Please be safe. Now, sleep.”

  
  
  


Rey was about to protest when everything went black. 

  
  


  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last of the flashback chapters.
> 
> Rey considers the bond meetings after Naboo and the last time she saw Ben in person - on Ahch-to.

**_D’Qar, one week after Naboo_ **

  
  


The next time the Force connected them, Rey was _furious_. 

“You complete _kriffing nerf herder!_ You used the _Force_ on me and then disappeared! What the hells, Ben?”

She placed herself directly in front of him and shoved hard against his chest. He didn’t budge an inch, seemingly having already prepared himself for her wrath.

“I know! I couldn’t stay. I didn’t do it because I wanted to - I did it because I _had_ to. Forgive me Rey, it wasn’t right and I... I panicked. I know it wasn’t right.”   
  


He looked genuinely guilty and shifted from one foot to the other while avoiding her gaze. _He’s the one who freaked out and dropped a Force sleep on her, he kriffing better be feeling guilty!_ She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. His emotions through the bond were all over the place. Regret and self-reproach at the forefront with something lingering underneath. _Desire._ A flash of herself in the black gown resting on top of him when she stumbled. She was caught off guard by how she looked through his eyes - not the awkward desert child she still felt like, but someone softer, more graceful, more _beautiful._

“I - ok, fine, I forgive you. Just no more using the Force on me ok? I think I have a permanent impression on my ribs from being _forced_ to sleep in that dress all night.” 

He winced before nodding his assent. Belatedly, Rey realized her hands were clutching the dark fabric over his broad chest and she abruptly dropped them. Heat bloomed across her cheeks and she turned her face away to hide her embarrassment. 

“Rey. You can touch me. I _want_ you to.”

She tilted her head just enough to peek up at him through her lashes. The way he looked at her was so sincere and so intense and she felt herself being compelled closer. Strong arms wrapped around her tiny frame and she sighed into his warm embrace.   
  
  


She felt the ghost of a kiss on the crown of her head as the connection broke. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**_D’Qar, two months after Crait and one month after Naboo_**

  
  


Rey was losing her mind. She saw it happen over the years on Jakku, usually to the old or injured scavengers and the hollow shells of those who had just given up. Sometimes it was slow, like the gradual buildup of sand on a fresh wreck. Sometimes it was a sudden burst of madness that had its victims wander out into X'us'R'iia never to be seen again. The memories of being forced to take cover for days while the howling storms drove the sand to act as the deadly bladed breath of R’iia still haunted her. 

Those familiar fears were creeping back more and more every day she and the other members of the Resistance were tasked with staying indoors. _For safety they said._ She understood the need to stay hidden, especially now with so few of them left. The cobbled together base they’d managed to build up from the remains of the destroyed one was reminder enough that they weren’t safe. 

Rey fought the urge to start marking the walls in her tiny room. 

The Force hadn’t connected them in weeks now. She didn’t want to admit how disappointed she was each night she crawled into bed without another glimpse of him. The bond was still there, so of course he must be fine. _Did he miss her too? Did he wonder if she was ok?_

She splashed some water on her face, hoping to clear away more of the same thoughts, and curled up on her small mattress. She fell into an exhausted, dreamless sleep. 

  
  


The warmth was what woke her. The jungle planet was warm in theory, but the base being mostly below the surface made her shiver at night when the sun set. Instinctively, she flailed out to clutch the welcome comfort and hit a solid mass. She started and nearly dumped herself off the bed scrambling away. The mass didn’t so much as flinch. Her eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness and settled on the large broad form. The _familiar_ form. 

Momentarily forgetting both the hour and the nearness of the rest of the Resistance, she nearly screamed his name. She leaned over just enough to look at his face. In the cradle of slumber, he was so peaceful. His brow was unfurrowed and mouth relaxed. His hair was a mess, sticking out at all angles and half covering his face. _And he was shirtless._ She had seen his bare chest before of course, but wasn’t able to actually appreciate the lines of muscle. His body was a tribute to his years of dedication to training and honing himself into the warrior Kylo Ren. She knew his stunning ivory skin was littered with scars and cringed as her eyes roamed over the one bisecting his face. 

She stifled a sob. _How could she have done that? Even after what he did to his father. Even after what he did to Finn. She let the darkness take over and look what happened._ She wanted to throw her arms around him and beg his forgiveness. He shifted just a bit then, angling more of his torso toward her. 

Her eyes zeroed in on a large bandage covering one entire side of his ribcage, soaked completely crimson.

Night and Resistance be damned!

“BEN! Wake up, please!”

She frantically grabbed his face with both hands and repeatedly begged him to wake up. Shaking him probably wasn’t the best course of action with injuries, but she wasn’t thinking clearly. His eyes popped open under the sudden touch, wild and searching and finally settling on her face. 

“Rey? What are you doing in my bed? What’s wrong?” Confusion furrowed his brow. 

“You’re in _my_ bed and you’re hurt! What happened? Who did this?”

A flash of rage shot through her, momentarily smothering the panic. He seemed to be fully awake now and reached out to ground her. He waited for her to come back to herself and held her gaze. 

“It’s just from training - one of the Knights got a lucky hit in, that’s all.”

“...you’re ok? You promise?”

Her eyes welled with fresh tears she couldn’t stop from spilling and she felt stupid and confused by her overreaction. She’d seen him worse. She’d _done_ worse to him!

But it was different now. It was different because she _cared_ if he was hurt. She cared about him. 

Sensing the fragile desperate nature of her emotions, Ben slowly, carefully pulled her toward him, tucking her head under his chin and embracing her fully. 

“I’m fine sweetheart, I promise. Now let me tuck you back in so you can rest.”

_Sweetheart._ He tried to shift away from her to leave the cot and her hand shot out to grip his arm. 

“ _Please._ Don’t leave. Stay with me.” 

His lips tilted up in a small smile as he slid them both back down into a comfortable position. He encouraged her to nestle into his uninjured side with her head on his chest before calling the blanket over them both with the Force. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**_D’Qar, three months after Crait and two months after Naboo_ **

“I have an idea. I don’t know if you could, or if you even want to, but I would like your help. I have all these ancient Jedi texts I can barely read, a broken lightsaber and you’re the only person I know… maybe the only person _left_ now who has built a lightsaber. I think I might be able to heal your grandfather’s crystal but I can’t even begin to understand where to start.” She knew she was rambling now and lowered her shoulders in defeat.

“Of course. How can I help? When I was at Lu- the temple, Padawans went to the crystal cave on Ilum to find their crystals. After _Starkiller_ , I don’t think there’s anything left there to find. There are other planets. Other places you could seek out your own crystal.”

“No, I think - I would really like to try to heal this one. It couldn’t choose between us. It’s my fault it’s like this.” 

She could picture the throne room again in her head and hear the pained whispers that rose up from the two halves even now. The crystal _wanted_ to be whole. The two halves weren’t meant to be apart. 

“I’ve never healed a crystal Rey, only hurt them. I bled mine. I’m not sure it would respond to me or trust me now. But, I’ll help you however I can. I want to.”

Ben settled her small hand in his gloved one and squeezed it lightly, just enough to reassure her without overstepping. She suddenly didn’t feel so alone in all this with him by her side.

“You’re not alone.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**_Four months after Crait_ **

  
  


Rey was on her way back to Ahch-to to try and heal Anakin’s split crystal. Hopefully, the combination of powerful Force energy on the island and Ben’s guidance would be enough to reunite the two halves. When she told the General that she wanted to try and build her own weapon, Leia nearly knocked Rey to the ground with the force of her embrace, murmuring words like _hope_ and _thank you_ into her shoulder. She insisted she still knew the way to Master Luke’s hidden island and that she would return as soon as it was done. 

She couldn’t help but chuckle a little at having handed over the map so willingly this time, but remembering the interrogation room and what came after erased the moment of mirth entirely and she pushed the memories away. 

The drop out of hyperspace signaled the arrival of the brilliant blues and greens of the planet. As she approached the same platform Chewie had landed on the first time she visited, she saw another ship was already there. A one-of-a-kind _TIE Silencer_ to match a one-of-a-kind owner. 

The sight that met her as she descended the ramp made her wonder if she’d hit her head sometime in hyperspace. The Supreme Leader of the First Order was currently stretched out, covered in Porgs… and he was _giggling_. It was just so _ridiculous_. She let out a genuine belly laugh and ended up bent in half, gripping her knees to steady her breathing. 

“Hey, I can feel you laughing over there! These things have been crawling all over me since the second I landed. What are they?” 

Two of the little avian creatures were clearly determined to build a nest out of of their new toy’s mane and she didn’t blame them for wanting to take advantage of such a prize. 

“Porgs. Chewie actually might have eaten some of them now that I think about it.” He feigned shock.

“Well, if you and your buddies are quite finished - there’s something I want to show you.” 

She held out a hand to help him up off the rocks. A spark ripped through them both at the moment their palms met, which caused Rey to drop her hold abruptly. Feeling him like this again in person was so much _more_ than through the bond. He cleared his throat and motioned for her to lead the way. 

The climb was arduous - the old steps jutting out were crumbling in some areas, causing her to stumble several times and the wind relentlessly whipped around them. The arrival of a storm was imminent and they would need to take shelter in one of the huts soon, which she hoped the caretakers had been able to keep somewhat intact since her last destructive visit. 

The memory must have leaked over to Ben through the bond because she felt a responding warmth and saw a flicker of her own tear-streaked face. She carefully turned to look back at him but was saved from having to say anything when big fat raindrops rapidly began to cover the stone around them. They ran the remaining distance but weren’t able to avoid the onslaught.

  
  


They stood panting in the hut- _Rey’s hut-_ soaked to the bone. The Lanais had not only repaired the hut but thankfully saw that it was outfitted with clean (and blessedly dry) quilts and stacked wood. Rey wrapped herself up tightly and set about making a fire. Her hands refused to stop shaking long enough to cooperate and after an agonizing few minutes, she threw down the kindling in frustration. 

“Take off your clothes.”

She pivoted to the sound of his deep voice with an incredulous look. 

“You’re from a desert planet and all you have on are a couple thin wraps. You need to take them off and get warm or you’re going to be ill. I’ll take care of the fire.”

Rey wanted to glare at him but remembered her previous fall into the frozen cavern with the dark mirror. How swiftly the cold had bit into her. She sighed in defeat. 

“ _Fine._ But turn around while I get under these blankets.”

She wasn’t ashamed of her body or nudity in general, there was no room for modesty on Jakku. But this was Ben and this was different. After checking that he had in fact followed her request, she ripped off her arm wraps and light tunic, tossing them to the ground with a **splat**. She opted to leave her breast bindings and underwear on and went to wrap the quilt back around herself - which she promptly dropped at the very familiar sound of an unstable blade igniting. 

“Kriffing hell! What are you doing?!” 

He turned to address her and realized his mistake as his eyes settled on her scantily clad form. He immediately diverted his gaze, but Rey noticed his Adam’s apple bob and a slight blush rose to his cheeks. 

“Sorry, just, lighting the fire…”

He deactivated his saber and moved to remove his surcoat and boots while she covered herself properly. She sat on the stone slab bed and indicated for him to join her. 

The rain didn’t seem to have effected him like it did her. His warmth radiated off him and… _oh. His smell oh Gods why is it always like this_ \- 

_“_ So… what did you want to show me?” 

His voice was low and breathy and she wondered if he had caught that train of thought. 

“Ah, the first Jedi temple. It’s at the top of the island. I was hoping we could meditate over the broken crystal there. I brought some other parts I think might be useful and the components I was able to scavenge from the original saber.”

“Of course he found the first Jedi temple.” Ben murmured softly to himself. “That explains why the Force is so strong here.” 

His voice was calm and even but Rey saw that he made a concentrated effort to breathe through his mouth. Several tense moments passed without either of them speaking again. 

  
  


“Ben? Why did you really leave me like that on Naboo?” 

She knew she sounded desperate. Like a child. The feelings of abandonment had been creeping up on her ever since she woke up in that beautiful room with him gone and there was nowhere left to bury them. He sighed heavily before dragging a hand through his wet hair. 

  
  


“Because I’m not like that other Alpha. I didn’t want to take advantage of you.” His words were barely over a whisper. 

“You didn’t. You’re nothing like that disgusting creature. I mean, it was actually nice- being there with you.” 

She slid one hand out to grip his arm and was surprised to find he was trembling. 

“Nice? You know what I _wanted_ to do?” 

He was very close to her now, close enough she had to tip her head back to see his face. Her heart thundered in her chest and she wondered if he could feel it too. 

“I _wanted_ to keep you in that bed. I wanted to slide my tongue across your gland until you begged me to take you. I wanted that bed to _break_ with how hard I’d fuck you. I wanted to pull your hair back and sink my teeth into you so you’d be _mine_.”

His words shocked her. His eyes were hot black coals and they beckoned to something coiled low in her belly. 

“I didn’t know if I could control myself not to - that’s why I used the Force on you and left. Before I messed whatever this is up.” 

He sighed and rested his elbows on his knees before turning away to rub one large hand down his face. 

“What if… what if that’s what I wanted too?” 

She glanced up to find him looking at her with that same dark intense stare. 

“Do you?”

She closed her eyes. She couldn’t think. His scent lured her nearer and she struggled to pull air into her lungs. 

“Ahh... _you do.”  
_

His fingers lightly danced over her jaw before tilting her chin up and brushing his lips against hers. He was soft and gentle, just like she had hoped he would be. Her mind was chanting _Yes Yes Yes Alpha_ and she opened her mouth to encourage him further. One of his oversized hands reached behind her to cup the back of her head so he could increase the intensity of their kiss. Rey ran her tiny fingers through his thick dark locks, earning an approving growl that she could feel vibrating all over. 

He reached under her blanket to grip her hips and pull her onto his lap. She felt something thick and hard pressing against her now aching core and a trickle of slick escaped at the contact. His lips shifted to her neck, leaving open mouth kisses down the column of her throat. Liquid heat lashed through her and soon his mouth met her mating gland. She arched into him, letting out a long, low moan. She tugged his hair to urge him on, knowing he could easily smell her arousal now. Even suppressed, the slick rapidly started to soak through her underwear. He braced her hard against him with one arm - and _something else definitely grew impossibly harder against her -_ and his other hand moved to work over her bindings. 

“W-wait, Ben I- I’ve never, I’ve never done this. _Anything_ like this… I’ve never even kissed someone.”   
  


He stilled and caught her gaze. Her Omega screamed at her to _obey,_ to let him have _whatever Alpha wants, you need to please Alpha_ -

“We’re evenly matched in more ways than one it would seem. Don’t worry Rey, we can slow down.”

  
A crooked smile graced his mouth and she was genuinely stunned by his gentle reaction. She didn’t sense any dishonesty or anger toward her through the bond and his scent was only tinged with mirrored desire. He softly kissed her forehead before he slowly slid her body back off his lap. 

“Would you… mind staying with me again? To sleep?”

She couldn’t quite meet his eyes after what just happened between them. 

“As if you could make me leave. Especially since you’re still shaking so hard you might knock this hut down and crush us both. It’d be irresponsible of me to leave you alone.”

Just like that, the tension broke and she burst out laughing. He gifted her a crooked grin and shifted over so she could join him curled up on the bed under a pile of thick scratchy blankets. 

  
  


“Goodnight, sweetheart.” She drifted away, safe and warm in the arms of _Alpha_. 

  
  
  
  
  


Before making the trek up to the temple, Rey decided to search Master Luke’s old hut. She pushed aside the door fashioned from an old _X-Wing_ and peered into the dusty room. Her eyes caught a familiar shape resting on the bed - _Luke’s lightsaber._ She grabbed it and ran back out to show Ben her prize - who was admittedly much less thrilled to be reunited with the particular weapon. She clipped it to her belt anyway and started climbing the steps up to the top of the island. 

As soon as they entered the temple, Ben zeroed in on the mosaic decorating the floor. 

“The Prime Jedi. They’re supposed to be a symbol of balance in the Force, light and dark together. I remember reading about them in the _Rammahgon_ when I was at Lu- the temple. _”_

“I think I agree with Master Luke when he said the Jedi needed to end. The Force shouldn’t be taught as dark versus light when it isn’t naturally split like that. He was too frightened of the dark to see it any other way - and so was I, at first. But I think that maybe if Force users could be taught to wield both in harmony... maybe we could prevent what happened to you from happening to someone else…”

She knew this wasn’t a subject he liked to revisit and that being on the island already dug up uncomfortable truths. He nodded minuitly, seemingly lost in thought. 

“Right… I’ll just lay out these parts and try to meditate on the crystal. I guess I just sort of… imagine it whole?” 

Ben moved to sit cross legged in front of her, mirroring her position. She let her eyes drift closed and took deep full breaths until she dropped into a heavy meditative state. Her bondmate’s signature blazed before her, like a crackling turbulent flame. 

Clasping the crystal shards in one hand, she tried to embed feelings of wholeness and healing. The shards would warm for a few seconds and then become unresponsive again. Ben must have detected her frustration, and a moment later long supportive fingers wrapped around her small fist. He combined his own healing persuasion with hers and the two halves rapidly grew in heat, vibrating and drifting closer and closer before she felt not two, but one whole crystal in her palm. 

“We did it! I can hear the singing again!” 

She was so overwhelmed she didn’t even think before jumping up to pull Ben’s face to hers, pushing a fierce kiss to his lips. He eagerly returned it, clutching her slender frame to his. 

“It’s time you built your own saber, Rey. You need to repeat what we just did - meditate over the components and envision the crystal taking on your essence. Consider what you want to use the blade for and how you want to wield it. When I was researching designs for mine, I came across a Sith who used a dual bladed weapon. I think a saberstaff like that would suit your fighting style better than a traditional blade.”

“I hadn’t thought of that actually… but I did learn to fit with a staff… wait-wouldn’t I need a second crystal then?” 

“I’m sure my uncle wouldn’t mind his last Padawan making good use of his, especially since you’d obviously be using it to fight a terrifying darksider.” 

She scoffed at the last bit and he smirked. He was right though, Master Luke didn’t exactly need the weapon anymore… 

She carefully extracted the crystal from the heart of her Master’s saber before moving back into a meditative pose. With both crystals resting in her palms, she started to pour her light and hope into them until the familiar warm vibrations turned to exactly the right melodic frequency. She pictured the components next, lifting them into the air with the Force and beckoning them to join her staff to form a weapon that would reflect the wielder. The now slightly heavier weight drifted back into her hands and she slowly opened her eyes to activate the trigger of her newly modified staff… 

  
  
  
  
  


… and twin brilliant white-gold blades materialized. 

  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Ok, we’re all set to return to the present in the next chapter.
> 
> Prepare for smutty smut and plotty plot and a trashed Poe Dameron.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night before Rey leaves she attends a little Resistance party with Finn and Poe. Then, her mission may or may knot, bring her to Ben.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: light non consensual touching with one-sided Damrey, then some enthusiastic consent with our favorite dark side good boy. Enjoy

**_D’Qar, present, six months after Crait_ **

  
  


Jet juice was just slightly less revolting than Knockback nectar, the vile combination of alcohol and _mystery something_ served in oil cans at the bars on Jakku. She’d tasted it once out of curiosity- and once was quite enough. 

Finn had all but demanded she come join the small after hours gathering when he discovered she was about to leave for two weeks. She tried to beg off, claiming she needed to pack, but he glanced at her clearly already put together bag and fixed her with a look. 

And that’s how she found herself lounging on a log in a jungle clearing, deep into her third cup of jet juice, trying to remember what Poe was rambling about. 

“... sooo I mean, if you ever wanted help with something like that, I’m your guy.”

He was clearly at least as inebriated as she was and swaying a bit on his feet. 

“Oh.. uh. Sorry Poe, I kind of checked out there. What did you want to help me with?” 

He chortled at her inattention before leaning down with a serious expression. 

“Maybe I can be more clear this time… so you know I only date betas… and I’m pretty sure you’re not dating at all with all the _Jedi stuff_ buuut I know heats can be rough alone, so if you wanted to, I could offer my _services_ as an unmated Alpha and help you through this next one. I’m scheduled for a break in a couple weeks…” 

_Oh. Oh no._

“You-you want to have _sex?_ ” 

Her intoxicated mind couldn’t quite grasp his request. He moved to sit next to her on the log and confidently wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned away, dodging his other hand and preventing him from resting it on her cheek. 

  
She could smell the desire in his pheromones and started to panic. _Alpha will not be happy._

_“_ Wait! I, you’re a good _friend_ Poe and I don’t want to ruin that…”

He seemed to take this to mean that she was playing coy and smirked before unexpectedly pulling her closer and crashing his lips to hers. 

As if the action itself called him, Ben suddenly materialized, standing directly behind Poe. 

“Ben!” 

She shot up out of Poe’s grasp, leaving him with a baffled expression and body posed as if still mid-embrace. She was aware that he couldn’t see Ben, but wasn’t sure if he would be able to actually interact with someone other than her - and if he could, Poe was a dead man. _Alpha is angry. Soothe Alpha._

“Hey! Who’s Ben? Where are you going?”

Poe jumped up as quickly as his sluggish limbs allowed and started to follow her. She needed to leave and get Ben out of here **_now_**. She rushed toward him, pushing her hands against his firm chest. He still didn’t shift from staring daggers at the other Alpha. Her hands relocated to his face, forcing him to finally look at her. She felt the anger crashing through the bond, but it turned to something like _hurt_ when he met her eyes. He reluctantly let her drag him further into the cover of the jungle and away from Poe. 

She opened her mouth to explain when he cut her off. 

“Are you drunk?” 

“Um I guess… Finn asked me to hang out with them before I-“

“Oh I see, so the _traitor_ gets you good and wasted so the _best pilot in the Resistance_ can make his move? Did you want him to? Is that why when we were- is that why you stopped me on Ahch-to? For him? You don’t have to lie to me and pretend!” 

He began to pace, gesturing wildly and looking anywhere but at her. She needed to shut down this line of thought immediately but struggled to find the words to reassure him.

“No! No, he just… misunderstood me… he asked me if I wanted help with my heats and I tried to explain that he’s just my friend and…” 

“... do you want him to _help_ you?” 

His tone was bitter and the words were spat through clenched teeth. He halted his pacing and stepped abruptly into her space. 

“No, I told you, I don’t want him! I want _you_! I want _your help_!” She realized she blurted out much more than she meant to when she saw the shock painting his face. Clearly he had expected her to confirm his suspicions. 

“You-you really want _me_? To help?” 

She shyly nodded and knew this was the moment she needed to ask before he disappeared and she lost the opportunity.

_Time to be brave._

“I’m leaving on a scouting mission tomorrow and it’s been six months since… I was going to comm you when I left to see if… maybe you wanted to meet me somewhere?”

She tries so hard to keep her feet planted where she is and not bolt from this conversation. He doesn’t make any outward signs of responding, just bores into her with his intense dark stare. She could almost taste the rejection and fought the pricking sensation of tears forming. Had she misread everything? _Alpha doesn’t want you._

  
  


“Of course I want to see you. I want you to choose me - because I choose _you,_ Rey. You’re it for me.” 

Ben cradled her face and leaned down to capture her lips. The tears that fell then were a byproduct of ecstatic relief and she felt him beaming at her through the kiss. 

  
  
  
  


The Force waited until her invisible spectre carefully saw her back to her room, hands clasped firmly together, before severing the connection. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


As soon as she closed the ramp to her small ship the next morning, she heard her commlink go off and rushed to answer. 

“Please tell me you’re finally alone.” 

“Meet me on Hoth. It’s uninhabited, remote and has piles of old parts for you to pick through so you have a legitimate reason to be there. Plus, you’ll actually be able to properly enjoy the snow without a _creature in a mask_ hunting you.” 

“You won’t be hunting me this time? How disappointing.” 

“Oh don’t mistake me sweetheart, I’ll be enjoying you as my prey, but I won’t be wearing a mask this time.” 

_Oh._ That statement does something funny to her insides. 

“We’ll see. It’ll take me about two days to get there, but I’ll be there.” 

“Good... and Rey? I can’t wait to see you.”

  
  


  
  
  
  
  


She spent the majority of her time in hyperspace obsessively using the fresher to make sure she was as clean as possible and nearly puking from nerves. She was off her suppressants and knew she wanted this, but she was _terrified_. All the telltale signs of her heat were approaching, her temperature rising rapidly and small cramps coming on and off. 

When she finally broke atmosphere on Hoth and spotted Ben’s _Silencer_ , she felt like she was going to explode. She stumbled down the ramp and crashed into him, knocking them both to the ground. Anxiety threatened to choke her completely until she looked up and saw the genuine warmth and affection in his eyes and all her misgivings melted away. 

“Come on, it’s freezing out here.” 

He led her to an inner room of the base near one of the old generators. She stopped dead. Inside, Ben had stacked piles of blankets, water canteens, rations and fruit. _For her_. He leaned against the doorway, a slight blush to his cheeks. 

“You‘ve been off suppressants for two days- I didn’t know if you’d have time to prepare anything before- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to presume-“

  
Overwhelmed by the meaning of his gesture, of him wanting to take care of her like this, of how incredibly sweet and shy and wonderful he was, she let the emotion she’d been clutching so tightly before now free.

“I love you.” 

He visibly startled.

“I mean, n-no one has ever done anything like this for me. No one has ever taken care of me… no one has ever wanted to and _you do_ so I-I love you.” 

He crossed the distance between them in two long strides, lifting her up and tilting her chin to look him in the eye. 

“You love me?” 

She nodded almost imperceptibly. 

“Well that’s convenient, because I think I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you in those woods.”

He braced her against the wall, eagerly taking her lips to his. She wrapped her slim legs around his waist and the contact sparked a moan from her. Encouraged, he shifted his attentions to her neck, lips ghosting over her gland. Her scent must have spiked sharply at the caress because he growled into her shoulder. 

“Don’t... don’t stop. Please. I trust you.” 

Rey reached out to wrap her hand around the back of his neck, bringing his lips back to hers. He was just a bit wilder now, his tongue more aggressive. The cramping low in her belly came sharply and she knew she didn’t have much longer before she turned into a mindless begging mess. She smelled the responding change in his scent, signaling his oncoming rut and it both terrified and thrilled her on equal measure. 

“Lie down, _Omega_.” 

_Oh._ That did something to her. It wasn’t a command, but she scrambled to her feet to obey. Another cramp, this one stronger, and she whimpered. He began pulling off his gloves with his teeth and she pictured his teeth biting down somewhere else… and a gush of slick greeted the thought. 

“Relax Rey, I’ll take care of you.”

He moved on to the rest of his clothing, slowly removing each piece. Agonizingly slow. She needed him to hurry and bolted up to rip the rest of his stupidly complicated ensemble off. 

“ _I said lie down, Omega. **Don’t move**.”_

This time it was a command. She fell back so quickly a little ‘oomph’ escaped her.

“Good girl.” 

_Yes yes, show Alpha how good you are._

“Yes _Alpha_ I’ll be so _good - please -“_

The cramps were turning into fire and she bit her lip to keep from pleading again. She gripped her fists together so tightly she knew there would be little crescent shaped marks for days after this. She didn’t care. 

Blessedly dressed in only his trousers, Ben knelt down at her feet and made his way up her aching body. He kissed her hungrily before ripping her tunic off her shoulders in one swift motion. He licked down her neck until his tongue brushed over her swollen gland. A moan ripped through her throat and she angled her neck to expose it better. He rewarded her by firmly attaching his mouth over it, sucking hard enough to make her eyes roll back. 

Fingers trailed down her collarbone until finally meeting the top of her breast binding. She arched her back to remove it for him and this action he seemed steadfastly focused on. When the binding dropped to the side he took the opportunity to freely admire her perky little breasts and flick one of her over sensitive nipples. She groaned at the contact and absolutely keened when he pulled it into his waiting mouth and sucked. Her other nipple was treated to the same attention before he began to blaze a trail of open mouth kisses down to her navel. 

Ben hooked his fingers into the waistband of her leggings and spared a look back up to her face, searching for any resistance. 

“ _Please._ I need… I need…”

“I know what you need. I’m going to give it to you but first I need to make sure you’re ready for me sweetheart.”

He threw a quick smirk before tugging her leggings and underwear off in one motion. Any shyness she felt previously evaporated when she was finally bare before him, dripping slick with skin too hot and cunt clenching around nothing. 

“You smell so fucking _good_. I bet you taste even better. You want me to taste you, Rey?”

She nodded so hard her chin smacked against her chest. 

“Good. You’re going to cum on my hand and then I’m going to fuck you just like I wanted to back on Naboo.”

_Yes Alpha please please please._

He put his nose directly against her mound and inhaled, making her quiver. Without any more warning, he delved into her folds with his tongue. He slid it up through her slit slowly, taking the time to sample her slick. The sensation was new and amazing and _yes more of this_. He caught the thought across the bond and chuckled darkly before latching onto her clit. Automatically, her hands flew to his luscious hair, urging him to stay focused on that little bundle of nerves. 

She registered one of his massive hands pushing to hold her hips down while the other slid up her thigh to circle her entrance. Two long fingers pressed into her and the sudden intrusion made her gasp. Her hands tightened in his hair as he started to rock them in and out of her, forcing little whimpers of pleasure as he stretched her. Soon another finger joined and the stretch was so foreign but so delicious and she wondered if just his _fingers_ weredoing this to her what his cock would-

And something was building. She was right at the tip of it-she just needed a little more-

The fingers suddenly curled to caress a spot inside her and Rey _screamed_ as her orgasm overtook her. Her vision whited out and all she could feel was her body pulsing with beautiful pleasure. Ben gently worked her through it until she finally came down enough to feel the emptiness in her cunt. The need to be taken was overwhelming and she saw exactly the shape of what she needed to fill her straining the buttons of his pants. 

_“Alpha_ **_please_** _! It hurts!”  
_

All she could do was beg and she didn’t care because the cramping was going to rip her apart and she needed him to fuck her. 

“You look so pretty begging for my knot. I’ll make it stop hurting, don’t worry little one.”

His pupils were blown nearly black with lust as he worked to free his painfully erect cock. It was swollen and leaking precum and _oh god Alpha is huge_ and she wanted to feel it split her. 

He grabbed the backs of her thighs and tugged her toward him, spreading her wider. Slick was dripping everywhere and he dragged the head of his cock through it before placing himself at her entrance. 

Despite his rut demanding he _take her mount her_ , he was gentle when he started to push inside her. He was massive and she felt the slight pinch even through the haze of lust. As he inched forward, the pain lessened and the stretch became more and more welcome. The strain of holding back was clear on his face and sweat beaded on his brow. 

Finally fully seated in her, he braced his body so that he could kiss her before he started to move. Every drag against her walls sparked an electric response and it wasn’t long before she keened a request for _more Alpha please more._

“ _Hold on to me, Omega.”  
_

She obeyed immediately, wrapped her arms around his neck and suckled eagerly at his gland. He sat up on his knees, positioning her to straddle him as he began fucking up into her at a punishing pace. The base of his cock started to swell and she felt every single inch of his knot inflating inside her. It was _too much and not enough and ohgodyesyesyes_ \- her orgasm crashed into her the moment his mouth met her own gland. 

Both completely satiated and boneles, he brought them to lie back, murmuring _Good girl, sweet Omega, so fucking beautiful when you cum_ into her hair. Rey nuzzled her face into his neck, lips resting on his gland, and fell asleep locked in his embrace. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Ben made good on his promise to take care of her for the next four days. Her memories were hazy from the demands of her heat but she knew he’s fucked her, fed her, praised her and given her everything she’s requested and more. 

On the final day, with her hormones gripping her less and less each hour, she had one more request. 

She was so _close_ and she felt his knot catching inside her and now was the perfect moment-

“ _Alpha-_ **_Ben_ ** \- please, bite me. Claim me. Make me yours.”

She set her hands on either side of his face and placed an earnest kiss to his lips. He stilled briefly, searching her eyes for any sign of hesitation. Finding none, he shot her a brilliant smile before resuming his pace and kissing down her neck. He reached between them, circling her clit with his thumb to encourage her over the edge.

Her body snapped, his knot filled her… and he sunk his teeth deep into her mating gland, breaking the skin and mixing his pheromones with hers. She screamed - pain and pleasure mixing together as _BenBenBen_ chants through her. When he felt her high start to fade he soothed the fresh bite with gentle strokes of his tongue.

“Rey, please, bite me. Claim me back.” 

She nodded sluggishly, overwhelmed by the last few days and her throbbing gland and how completely _right_ it felt. He kissed her forehead in a heartbreakingly sweet gesture and pulled her tight against him while exposing his neck. 

She trailed a line of kisses from his jaw to his mating gland, leaned in, and bit.

  
  
  



	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What have the newly mated couple been up to since Hoth?

_**Resurgent-Class Star Destroyer - Steadfast** _

  
  
  


Since assuming the mantle of Supreme Leader, Ben made two important changes to his current training methods. 

First, he started observing the Stormtrooper combat prep sessions. After witnessing FN-2187’s break in programming, he considered that while the methodology of Hux’s design worked in theory, the results were often unsatisfactory in practice. While the program focused on rigorous exercises and indoctrinating complete loyalty, military protocol left troops in the field with only default reactions and the inability to strategize for the best outcome. He suspected that the increasing number of troopers being sent for reconditioning was truly a result of misplaced expectations for differing skill sets.

Just because almost any soldier _could_ wield a blaster, it didn’t mean they weren’t better suited for a position utilizing their individual strengths. A massive force would almost always triumph simply by having more soldiers to spare, but the Resistance had shown that a small force could be just as effective by playing on strengths and strategy in the moment. 

General Hux had nearly turned purple with anger when he insisted on copies of the training evaluation records of recently recommissioned troopers. 

“Those soldiers are trained and held to the highest standards in the galaxy! My army will not be sullied by some-some **_wizard_ **!”

His sputtering display reeked of insubordination.

“I believe you’re aware, _General_ , that the military is under the command of the _Supreme Leader_ \- which is not you. I will do as I see fit with the program, without the need to seek your approval.”

Hux moved to interject, but the slightest pressure on the red haired man’s throat helped persuade him to acquiesce rather quickly. 

As for the second change, he recalled the Knights of Ren. Snoke made an effort to keep them apart at all times, sending the dark Force warriors to all corners of the galaxy on ongoing quests and trivial tasks. The new Supreme Council advocated to keep the Knights in their current positions, unsettled at the possibility of more mysterious Force users in close quarters. He needed them to be his eyes and ears now. Hux’s loyalty to the First Order and Snoke was unquestioned, but even he couldn’t mask his suspicions as to what had truly transpired in the throne room. Officially, Rey was still considered solely responsible for Snoke’s death. 

The six Knights were unfailingly deadly apart but nothing short of _devastating_ when engaged in their synchronized battle forms. Their highly specialized weapons and armor focused their individual talents in both combat and the Force. Ben never underestimated his comrades, but the initial training session with the Knights led to the exposure of a weakness in their Master. Maintaining the mental wall concealing his treacherous actions in regard to Snoke’s death and his bond with ‘the last Jedi’ greatly effected his concentration. Ap’lek successfully misdirected a blow, deeply grazing his side. Weakness was not a trait tolerated by the warriors and his authority -and his _life -_ depended on not repeating the error. 

He continued to wear full regalia, including his repaired mask, anytime he was outside of his private quarters. It hid his expressions and allowed him to maintain the guise of the great and terrible Kylo Ren… even if that wasn’t who he was anymore. He couldn’t be the Ben Solo from a lifetime ago, but he couldn’t continue pretending he was the bloodthirsty Kylo Ren, rabid Master of the Knights of Ren, either. 

_Rey_ believed he could still nurture the light inside him. That the pull meant it wasn’t too late - that he wasn’t completely lost to the dark. Her light shone like a roaring blaze, clearing out the shadows and offering forgiveness he didn’t deserve. Every hardship she endured shaped her into something stronger but no less bright.

And somehow, she chose _him._ Even with the bond forcing them together, she _chose_ to be tied to him as his mate for life. He sent a small nudge of affection over the bond, which was instantly returned. He pulled the arm wrap she gifted him with on Hoth out of the concealed drawer in his desk and inhaled deeply. _Sunshine and blossoms and heat and Rey._ Gods he missed her. 

  
  


He was broken out of his reverie by the crackle of the comm unit on the wall of his quarters. 

  
  
  


“Supreme Leader, the Knights are assembled in the training room and await your presence.”

  
He sighed and placed the impassive black mask back over his head. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**_D’Qar_ **

  
  


The instant Rey landed back at the Resistance base after Hoth, she was accosted. 

First by Rose, who wanted to know **immediately** if Rey and her mysterious romantic smuggler were able to plan a secret rendezvous. The rapidly growing blush coating her cheeks gave her away. 

“Tell me _everything_! Did you guys….”

The spitfire of a girl wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Rey tried for a vague response but was cut off when her friend’s eyes drifted to her neck, catching sight of the very present, very fresh claiming mark. 

“HOLY KRIFFING BANTHA SHIT! Seriously? You really did want that Alpha to bite you! Wait- you did it back right? How was it? And for Force sake, why didn’t you bring him back here?” 

“One question at a time, Rose! Calm down! I told you it’s complicated… but… yes, I did. It was… _incredible._ I’ve never felt anything like it before. Just perfect. I’m happier than I think I’ve ever been.”

She could tell Rose the truth about that part at least. When she sunk her teeth into Ben’s gland, she felt everything click in place. They were already bond mates in the Force and joining together as life mates felt like it did on Ahch-to when the shattered crystal was melded back to wholeness. Her body sang that same sweet melody with their pheromones intertwined. 

Rey assured her that she would stop by her and Finn’s room once she had settled all her cargo. Rose shot her a wink before bouncing off - probably to share her new gossip with her mate. 

  
  
  
  
  


Poe entered the hangar while Rey was unloading the spare parts she was able to scavenge from the base on Hoth. It had been an excellent choice on Ben’s end and her mission turned out to be a roaring success… in more ways than one. 

He made a beeline for her and she stiffened in response, remembering their last encounter. When he was a few feet from her, he stopped with a curious expression. 

“You smell different.”

Her hand dropped from one of the boxes she was sorting through to attempt a discrete cover of her new mark. She knew that her scent would change a bit to express not only her new status as a claimed Omega, but to distinguish which Alpha she was mated to. 

“Oh, I, uh… yes. Probably a bit… now.” 

“Kriff, I had no idea. I wanted to talk to you before you left… I really thought you might have been interested but… obviously I misread things. Whoever he is, he’s pretty much the luckiest guy alive. Anyone I know?”

Poe didn’t even give off a hint of awkwardness as he slid a charming smile her way. She shook her head and he nodded, more to himself than her. He looked at her for a few more moments before turning to leave the hangar. As soon as he reached the exit his smile faltered and disappointment swelled in his brown eyes. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The next three months dragged by. Her friends didn’t treat her any differently and beside the odd whisper questioning the mystery mate of the ‘Jedi’, she didn’t hear much else on the subject. The bond connections seemed to occur more frequently, much to Rey’s delight, but she longed to truly be physically with Ben again.

She spent any free moment in her room wrapped up in his cloak. He had scented it almost obsessively before handing it over on their last day on Hoth. Being separated from one’s mate was supposed to be emotionally and physically punishing, with scent holding the most comfort in absence of proximity.

One significant difference she noticed was that her anxiety seemed to ramp up randomly, especially in the presence of unmated Alphas. Her Omega would compel her to shy away. _Alpha will protect us. Find Alpha._ Ben would constantly flood her with reassurances and affection over the bond in these moments, sensing his mate’s distress closing in. 

  
  
  
  


That morning, she woke up drenched in sweat, crushing panic and anger shuddering through her in waves. _Another kriffing nightmare._ She rolled out of the wet sheets and threw on a ratty pair of coveralls to head down to the hangar. 

Mechanical work helped take her mind off her racing thoughts and allowed her to feel a little more in control of herself. The parts she brought back were joined by gear and ships from several other fruitful reconnaissance missions to old Resistance bases in the past few weeks. The General trusted that a favorable portion of them would still have some usable equipment or supplies, and the Resistance was in no shape to eschew the possibility. Poe and a small team were supposed to return in the next day or so with information on any recoverable supplies on Yavin 4. He had been friendly enough with her since Hoth, albeit a bit more standoffish, which hopefully would fade with time. 

  
  
  


“Rey! We gotta go, there’s an emergency mandatory meeting being called by the higher ups right now!”

Finn was out of breath, having clearly run from the other side of the base to find her. She shuffled down the wing of the ship she’d been replacing the condenser in and rushed to join him. 

“Do you know what’s happening?”

They were jogging through the halls to the command room with other soldiers now. 

“I heard someone say they got word from Poe’s team about something **BIG** , but no clue what.”

She let out a little exhale - her friends were safe and maybe they discovered some fully stocked warehouse on their mission. 

  
  
  
  


Finn and Rey were some of the last to arrive and squeezed to stand in one back corner of the room. General Leia stood at the front, braced behind a large holoprojector. She didn’t recognize all of the newly appointed members of high command since the _Raddus_ was destroyed, but Rose and Kaydel were flanking her on either side. She waited for the room to settle before speaking. 

“Thank you for joining us. As some of you know, Commander Dameron and other members of Black Squadron were sent on a reconnaissance mission to the base on Yavin 4. They were tasked with evaluating any remaining assets that could be of use to the Resistance. However, while entering atmosphere, they ran into a First Order vessel. This is the footage we just received of that interaction via the camera in the Commander's cockpit.”

She clicked on the holoprojector. 

_Oh. Oh Gods. Oh Gods no._

It was the _Silencer,_ engaged in flawless evasive maneuvers around Poe’s _X-Wing._

Rey’s heart was in her throat, lungs constricting, unable to look away. The sleek ship dodged each shot the Black Squadron aimed its direction but she couldn’t stop herself from flinching at each bolt. Finally, it looked like the _Silencer_ was prepping to jump to hyperspace- when a massive explosion on one side sent it barreling toward the planet’s surface at an alarming speed. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Rey didn’t register herself screaming, or her body hitting the ground… along with Ben’s ship. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry...


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Poe’s mission.

_**Steadfast,** **one** **month prior**_

  
  


Armitage Hux had no patience for absurd dead magic religions. With the exception of the former Supreme Leader Snoke, the practitioners he’d encountered were nothing more than feral children prone to fits of destructive rage. Kylo Ren being the prime example. That petulant creature proved time and time again that he was embarrassingly unfit to fulfill the glorious vision of the First Order. 

He had intended to simply wait for the fool to get himself killed, which was almost a certainty based on his chaotic behavior on and off the field of battle. However, the unprecedented demand for control over _his_ army, _his_ program - simply could not be tolerated. He would not stand by and see his **legacy** destroyed. 

He had considered several options to rid himself of the problem once and for all. A discrete poison? A well placed beetle? Bounty hunters? Hux couldn’t be sure of the efficacy of either of these options when his target had the aid of invisible Force magic. He needed allies… allies who could wield the same power. 

The Knights were no more controlled or tolerable than their Master, but he was not blind to the building tension brewing between the dark wraiths and their leader. If a wedge could be driven between them, perhaps their alliances would shift. Thankfully, a commonality united their beliefs with his own - a disgust for weakness. 

He slipped into the data records chamber under an anonymous passcode. The salvaged holorecordings from the _Supremacy_ were under a single layer of encryption software that was easily broken. He located the last footage of the throne room and was met by the sight of Kylo Ren, committing treason, back to back with _the Jedi girl._ A wicked grin split his pale face as he reached for his comm. 

  
  
  
  
  


_**Steadfast, present** _

Six figures clad in deathly black exited the hangar to stand before Armitage Hux. The final plan was beautiful in its simplicity and now the desire to hear the results was suffocating. 

“Well? Were the results satisfactory?”

He clasped his hands tightly behind his back, his nails digging into flesh hard enough to draw blood. The damaged vocoder lended an eerie distortion to the voice of the Knight, Kuruk, more garbled and sinister than the black helm he was so familiar with. 

  
  


“Indeed, _Supreme Leader_.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**_D’Qar medbay, present_**

  
  
  
  


Rey blinked the sleep from her eyes. They felt swollen and raw and she went to rub them, suddenly becoming aware of the IV sticking out of her forearm. She bolted up. How did she get here? 

“Oh thank the Gods, you’re awake! You scared the hell out of us all, fainting like that! I mean, not that the reaction wasn’t warranted, I just expected more of like a ‘wooooo the monster is dead’ thing than a ‘eyes suddenly rolling back and hitting the deck’ thing at Kylo Ren’s ship being blown out of the sky like that.” 

Finn chuckled at this and leaned forward to take her hand. 

Everything came rushing back. The emergency meeting. Poe’s fighter. The _Silencer_ and the explos- she broke out into ugly guttural sobs. 

**_NO. NO no no no no Ben. My love, my heart. No! AlphaBenAlpha no PLEASE._ **

****Every object in the room rose up and started shaking violently, glass equipment shattering and Finn shouted into his comm. The overhead lights flickered and she barely felt herself rip out her IV before the sharp jab of a needle in her neck made everything slip away.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“I’m telling you Poe, you had to see it. It was like a Force storm with medical supplies or something. I even got grazed by some of the broken glass whipping around her. I honestly think she would have torn the walls down if Kalonia hadn’t been right outside.”

Finn, Rose and Poe sat in the mess hall for morning meal two days later - while Rey remained in the medbay, sedated and restrained with Force dampening binders. Dr. Kalonia insisted that the cuffs were for her protection more than theirs and that they would be removed as soon as she woke up on her own and could control her emotions. 

  
  


“Buddy, I know you had more experience around Kylo Ren than anyone here, but Rey and I were _tortured_ by the guy. I mean you saw what I looked like after he got to me. We don’t even know everything he did to her. He was only inside my mind and it was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced. I still have nightmares about being strapped to that chair…” Poe visibly shuddered.

“I’m just saying, there’s like PTSD and all that. For all we know her brain just couldn’t cope with finally being free of that monster. I literally saw it happen with my own eyes and _I_ barely believe it!”

  
The ace pilot had been fielding cheers and congratulatory claps since the moment he set foot back on base - _Poe Dameron, Resistance Hero._ He initially was baffled by the lack of Rey’s presence, but he knew her experience dealing with the psychological toll of active war was limited growing up on Jakku. 

“Honestly, I think we should try to find her mate at this point. The General has the Force and even she couldn’t get through to her. If they take her off sedation and she goes all ‘Force smash’ again, I’m not sure we’re going to be enough to pull her out of it. Plus, if he’s as great as she says, he’s going to _want_ to be here to comfort her, right?” 

  
Rose had spent the better part of the last two days chewing her nails down to nothing while worrying about her friend. Sitting around being unable to help rattled her deeply and she tried desperately to remember anything about the man who had captured Rey’s heart.

  
“I don’t have a clue how to contact him. I think he’s a smuggler somewhere in the Outer Rim… and his name is Ben… aaand that’s it.” She threw her hands up in frustration. 

“Ahhh, now that whole ‘Ben’ thing makes sense… sort of. I was drunk. Anyway, I don’t know about you two but I have been _dying_ to meet this Alpha for months now. I have a few things I’d like to say to him.” 

Poe wanted to be able to size up the Alpha who was able to steal Rey away and hear the _amazing_ reasoning for leaving her here alone for so long. 

“Do you think she has a commcode or something for him in her room? We could start there. She’ll hate us going through her things but she’d probably forgive us if we helped her with something like this?” 

Finn was desperate to help his friend, especially after his run in with the dangerously out of control version of Rey lying in the medbay. 

The three Resistance soldiers cleared their trays and darted down the halls toward Rey’s quarters. Just as Rose lifted her small palm to push open the door, Kaydel rushed to stop them. 

“Hurry! We need you to identify a non-responsive craft that just broke atmosphere!” 

She seemed frantic enough that the trio took off after her back towards the control room. When they reached the doorway Commander D’Acy pulled Poe aside. 

“Commander Dameron, I need you to confirm the identity of a ship once it lands.”

“We’re letting an unidentified, unresponsive ship _land_?!” He shot her an incredulous look. 

“It appears to be an RZ-1 A-Wing Interceptor… the last known owner was Shara Bey.” 

Poe stared at her, slack jawed. It couldn’t be. He heard the telltale landing gear engaging not far overhead and made a mad dash for the hangar. His knees buckled at the sight. 

  
  
  
  
  


It _was_ his mother’s ship. A ship he left on Yavin 4 when he laid her to rest.   
  



	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who’s in Shara Bey’s ship?

The figure that descended from the cockpit of the starfighter was met with a shared shiver. It was as if Death himself had personally come to call on the Resistance.

The spectre was dressed head to toe in pitch black, with a cloak billowing menacingly in his wake. He had a jagged scar bisecting one side of his face and dried blood clung to the skin exposed by large gashes in his tunic. His frigid obsidian gaze roved over the crowd but still he said nothing. 

Finn’s shouting broke the trance. 

“That- THAT’S **KYLO REN!** ” 

The Resistance members whirled back to the man in terror, the cacophony of blasters arming met the sound of a nightmare blade crackling to life. Several of the closest soldiers took stumbling half steps back as the blade was raised in challenge. An errant blast rang out and to their horror, the bolt was suspended in air before being redirected into a nearby speeder. 

“ **Where is Rey?!** ” 

Poe startled. Rey? Had Kylo Ren come back from the dead to kill the Last Jedi? One final soul for the Jedi Killer? 

Suddenly, he was frozen in place. _No- no not again!_ He tried to struggle and noticed that every single one of his comrades were similarly stilled by the Force. 

The creature circled, a predator sizing up prey, before stopping in front of Finn. His pheromones were dripping with commanding rage, compelling the other Alphas in the room to submit or fight. For a moment the former trooper was transported back to the forest on Takodana, the crackling blade searing a line of destruction up his spine. 

“We meet once again _traitor_. **Now tell me what happened to her or I’ll rip it from your mind**.” 

He lifted a gloved hand to Finn’s head and closed his eyes, preparing to take the information. 

  
  
  
  
  


“That’s more than enough. Why are you here?” The General’s voice was strong and sure. 

“Rey.” 

“I will not allow her to be handed over to the First Order.” Her expression was stern, her stance rigid as she took in the sight of the man before her.

“Sh-she’s alive then?” He let out a shaky breath and lowered his saber. 

“You don’t seem disappointed. What do you want with her?” She narrowed her eyes, trying to read his expression. 

“I want to see her, **now**.”

“No, and you know well enough that you of all people can’t make demands here. Not with me.”

  
She stepped into his space coolly, not allowing herself to be intimidated by this shadow version of her son. 

“Perhaps. Tell me, _mother,_ will you violate your precious law so easily? As I recall, you’re something of a champion for Alpha/Omega rights.” He smirked down at her. 

She took only a moment to collect herself at the open admission of his parentage and what exactly his mention of _that law_ could possibly be eluding to. 

“Very well, let’s talk. On the condition that you hand over your weapon and allow the use of Force dampening cuffs… oh, and release my soldiers.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, feeling her intentions through their own connection. Satisfied, he abruptly dropped the Force hold and held out the hilt of his saber. The familiar gesture brought a flicker of his father’s face to light and he quickly shook his head to erase the image. His mother gripped the crude weapon in her delicate hand before gesturing for cuffs to be brought. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Once inside the interview room, the baffled officers were permitted to observe the interaction between their beloved General and _her son,_ the Supreme Leader of the First Order. Leia waved off Poe’s insistent attempts to join her for her protection, forcing him to stand outside helplessly. 

“I have _so_ many questions! First of all, he’s supposed to be DEAD. Second, the General actually gave birth to that thing? I thought the darkside just conjured him up from some like Sith lava planet! What _exactly_ does he want with Rey? And how did he even know she’s here?!” 

Finn was pacing back and forth outside the room, gesticulating wildly. Rose just stared silently at the monstrous figure on the other side of the one-way glass. He seemed almost familiar...

“What I really want to know is why he isn’t locked in one of the cells right now. Honestly I don’t know why we didn’t just execute him as soon as the cuffs went on!” 

Poe was trying desperately not to start punching the walls in frustration. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Mother and son sat at opposite sides of the worn table in the middle of the room, sizing each other up. They were both aware that the one-way glass and microphones allowed anyone outside to be privy to the conversation.

“Well I admit you have me intrigued. Are you suggesting that you intend to claim her? Make her into an Empress? Seduce her to the darkside? That girl is too hard for even you to crack.”

“She is indeed. But no, I don’t _intend_ to claim her… because I _already have.”_

Even the famous Organa poise couldn’t hide the very audible gasp she let out. 

“Y-you mean… Rey and you are…? Can you provide proof?” She stumbled over the words as her mind tried to wrap around the possibility. 

Ben deliberately began undoing the top portion of his tunic. Once it was loose, he slowly revealed the now scarred mark and met her eyes. 

  
  
  


The door flung open. 

  
  
  


“THIS IS BANTHA SHIT! He’s going to come in here pretending that’s from Rey and we’re seriously going to allow him to see her?! We should be setting his _trial date_ right now and getting Rey the kriff off this planet to her actual mate, **_Ben_**!”

Poe was absolutely livid, gripping the table and aggressively gesturing into the other Alpha’s space… the other Alpha who was openly smirking at him. 

“Commander, I want to formally introduce you to my son, _Ben Solo_.”

  
  
  
  
  


The officers present for the revelation gaped at the scene in alarm. A commotion behind them was barely enough to divert their attention until it was accompanied by increasingly agitated voices. Finn and Rose turned to see Rey whipping down the corridor, dressed in only an oversized hospital gown and bleeding from where she must have ripped out her IV. She seemed completely oblivious to the fact that a chunk of the medical bed rail was still attached to one of her cuffs and that she was being chased down by two medics and Dr. Kalonia. 

Just as she reached the group of onlookers, Poe threw open the door, forcing the General and himself through before violently locking it behind him. Rey openly wailed. 

“ **BEN! PLEASE-PLEEEASE! BEN!”** Her voice was hoarse from disuse and she stumbled before dropping to her knees. 

A muffled crash from inside the room was the only warning before a chair went hurtling through the glass. Ben shoved the ducking officers aside and darted over to his sobbing mate. He fell to his knees in front of her, swiftly tugging her tiny form to him. His own eyes became blurry as he rocked her slowly, smoothing her hair and hugging her as tightly as possible. Their scents embraced and Rey reached up to plant dozens of frantic kisses all over his long face. 

“You- I saw the _Silencer_ go down… I thought - Gods Ben I thought…” She snuggled further into his neck, soaking his tunic with more warm wet tears. 

“Shhh, I know sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I felt your grief through the bond before you disappeared from the Force. I had to see for myself that you were still here.” 

Rey’s body was suddenly being jerked away, eliciting a growl from Ben. Poe stood firmly between them, pushing her behind him and blocking her from view. 

_Protect Omega_. 

“Get away from _my Omega_ now.” Ben snarled as he straightened to his intimidating full height. 

“You’re the one she needs to get away from! _Your_ Omega my ass! I don’t know what kind of sick manipulative trick or torture or whatever you did to force her into this, but I’m not going to let it continue!” He was starting to walk backwards with Rey still firmly in his grip. 

“ _Alpha, please!”_

Her plea broke his fragile control and he lunged for the pilot, seizing him by the neck. He lifted him off his feet and slammed him into the corridor wall. Poe managed several well placed blows but was ultimately no match for an Alpha whose mate had been threatened. 

“Ben, _Alpha_ , stop. He- he’s still my friend.” Rey gently rested a small hand on Ben’s outstretched arm. When he finally took his eyes off Poe to look at her, she brought her hand up to his cheek, calming him with her scent. He let the pilot slide back to the ground and stepped away. 

  
  
  
  
  


“You two are both going to end up in cells if you don’t cut out all that posturing **now**! Dr. Kalonia can take it from here - and someone remove those ridiculous cuffs before she hurts herself even more!” Leia stared the two men down, making them both shrink a little with her scolding tone. 

  
  
  
  



	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Resistance decides what to do with the Supreme Leader in their midst.

The ragged pair were met by lingering curious glances that rapidly progressed to overtly hostile ones as they made their journey to the medbay. They were _accompanied_ by Dr. Kalonia, the two medics who ran after Rey, and Rose.

The six Resistance soldiers that followed closely behind were there “just in case,” Leia had said… although Rey wasn’t sure if it was ‘just in case the Resistance tried to take revenge on Ben’ or ‘just in case Ben starts choking out other Alphas who drift too close’. 

  


“Well this certainly isn’t where I saw the day going, but apparently life still has some surprises in store for me. So, who’s first?”

To her credit, Dr. Kalonia didn’t appear to be put out whatsoever by the extremely unusual situation before her. She carefully removed the cuffs from around Rey’s wrists before gesturing for her to sit on the nearest bed. The Force rushed back through her, making her skin tingle and every sensation crisper. 

“Uh, I’m sorry, first for…?” Rey furrowed her brow and looked over to Ben sitting on the chair next to her. He cleared his throat.

“They want to evaluate us to see if I was telling the truth. Tests to show if both our pheromones are present in one another’s blood and physical confirmation of mutually marked mating glands.” 

“That’s correct. A mark on your gland means a claim exists, a mark on his gland proves it was consensual, and the mixed blood sample shows the Alpha/Omega pairing. The whole process is over pretty quickly and Commander Tico is here to ensure the results are witnessed by a trusted third party. Now Rey, would you prefer our friend here to wait outside for his turn?”

“NO! I mean… uh no, I’d like him to stay if that’s ok.” 

Ben leaned over to pull one of her hands from her lap and place a quick kiss to the back of her knuckles. 

The blood test was uncomfortable but the doctor was gentle and it was as quick as promised. Dr. Kalonia stepped away to place it into a whirring computer at the same time a medic approached Rey to begin the physical evaluation to her gland. The moment the scent hit her, Ben was already out of his chair, preventing the Alpha medic from moving any closer. 

“ _Get another medic_ .” 

She still couldn’t feel him with his Force suppression cuffs on, but his tone and stance were rigid.

“After Dameron, you think I’ll let _another_ Alpha touch her? _There_?” 

He was attempting to be as reasonable as possible she could tell, especially with all his instincts still on overdrive. The medic trembled a bit in the face of not only a very defensive Alpha, but _Kylo Ren_ searing him with a murderous stare and glanced repeatedly back to the doctor for confirmation. Dr. Kalonia shot him an amused look before waving another medic over - a beta female this time. The beta carefully slipped Rey’s tunic off one shoulder, exposing her gland. She took several photos and notes before thanking her and stepping away. 

“Alright big guy, shirt off.” 

Ben just stared back at her, not sure if he misheard the request. 

“I don’t know if you’ve seen yourself in a mirror yet, but your clothes are covered in blood and some of it is still fresh. I wouldn’t be a very good physician if I didn’t take a look at your injuries.” 

Her no nonsense tone made him sigh, but Ben complied and stood up to remove his tunic. The black fabric slid over his pale abdomen, revealing an expanse of well defined muscle. 

“Ohmyg- I mean, ahem, sorry my throat is uh, really dry.” Rose was averting her gaze and feigning clearing her throat. _Was that a blush?_

Ben quirked an eyebrow in her direction. 

  
  
  


“So let me make sure I’m remembering the holorecording correctly. You - plummeted to the ground, from a rather significant height, in a flaming metal cage, hit the _ground_ and then your ship _exploded..._ and all you have to show for it are a bunch of flesh wounds? I’ve certainly heard claims over the years that you’re immortal, but even I might be inclined to believe it right now.” 

Dr. Kalonia had finished drawing his blood sample and beckoned him to sit back down so she could document the raised mark on his gland. 

Ben actually seemed embarrassed by the attention, more used to medical droids than people. He shrugged slightly before answering. 

“The _Silencer_ was built to my exact specifications - if it had been any other ship I’m not entirely sure the outcome would be the same. Plus, I have the Force… usually.” He held up his cuffed wrists for emphasis. 

“Ah yes, we’ll see about those. I heard you made a pretty hard point toward keeping them on after the _incident_ in the hangar.” 

Rey looked from the doctor to Ben and back again but neither elaborated. She raised her eyebrows at him, prompting an explanation. 

“I needed to find you and your _friends_ weren’t very forthcoming…” 

Rose jumped off the wall to interject. 

“He froze us with the Force and threatened to do something to Finn’s mind… and blew up that speeder you’ve been working on!”

Rey hopped off the bed in a heartbeat, stood between Ben’s open legs and shoved her finger into his broad chest. 

“Ben! I literally just got that stupid thing to work! Son of a bantha! And you do **_not_ ** get to use the Force on my friends either!” 

He looked properly chastised, nodded and mumbled half formed apologies. Rose sat down heavy in a chair by the wall, staring at the duo. 

“This is the most confusing day of my life.” She sounded like she was on the edge of bursting into tears or giggles and Rey wasn't sure which side was winning. 

  
  
  
  


And then Ben _laughed._

“It’s certainly up there for me too.”

  
  
  


Rey didn’t mean to ogle… but even the little half smile lit up his face, which was definitely attached to his neck, which she’s positive was attached to his still very bare chest… all wrapped up in a _delicious_ perfume of electricity and _Alpha_ and-

  
  


“Hold off on all that until you at least know the test results. Which, as I expected, are positive. Mutual claiming marks and both blood samples come back with mixed pheromones. Congrats kids, you’re officially a mated pair with the medical evidence to back it up. I’ll send off a copy with Commander Tico but I suspect that High Command will want to speak with you immediately.”

  
  
  
  


They were sent off after a quick change of clothes - ironically Ben’s were _still_ black - before being escorted again by the six soldiers and Rose, who kept peeking alternately between her friend and the shadow in her periphery. She didn’t have the opportunity to get Rey alone and force her to explain _exactly_ how the kriff she could hide something this outrageous… but she also couldn’t deny the energy between them in the medbay. Trying to reconcile the _Ben_ she had heard so much about with what she knew of _Kylo Ren_ was making her head hurt. Although she supposed after getting a good look at what’s underneath all that black… that the incredibly hot sex thing could be true...

Rey turned her head sharply to look at her, clearly catching her train of thought. Rose tried to formulate an apology but instead stumbled and pitched sideways, smacking directly into _all that black_. He caught her by the elbows and gave her a nod before continuing down the hall. Rey laughed at her flustered expression, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially, “that part was _definitely_ true.” They burst into a fit of giggles at the ridiculousness of the situation and it helped ease the tension the tiniest bit. 

  
  


The raised voices that met them in the crowded conference room definitely did not. Ben stood stoically in one corner of the room and everyone else seemingly avoided being within striking distance, except for Rey who deliberately drew near. They both weren’t sure what came next and the scent of their mate so close was comforting. 

Rose rushed through the other officers to drop the test results into General Leia’s waiting hand. She paused for a moment to consider the documents, then signaled for attention. 

“Thank you for gathering to discuss this _unusual_ situation. For anyone who isn’t aware yet, which I imagine is unlikely, the man joining us today is the Supreme Leader of the First Order. Now ordinarily, we would agree that a _visitor_ of his caliber should become familiar with our enchanting cellblock, but that would entail imprisoning our resident Jedi as well.” She paused while the Resistance members not present for the earlier interview between mother and son exchange confused murmurs. She continued. 

“I have the documentation here, proving without a doubt that Ben Solo, aka Kylo Ren, and Rey are a mated pair.” 

The room erupted into chaos. Even the officers who _had_ been present seem shocked by the validity of the claim. Rey instinctively moved closer to Ben, who protectively drew her behind him. Rose offered a small reassuring nod in their direction, but Finn looked seconds away from being sick and Poe absolutely seethed. 

“ ** _Enough!_ ** You can yell all you like, but the fact remains. The law on forcibly separating mates is universal. We cannot imprison one without the other. So if we are under agreement that we do not want the hope for the Resistance sleeping in a cell, let’s see what we _can_ agree is appropriate. Suggestions?”

“General, forgive me but we can’t just let him walk around base unguarded. We need to protect what’s ours. He’s too dangerous and you know that! This has to be some kind of trick!” Poe glared daggers at Ben. 

  
“I don’t believe that there is anything to indicate that he is here in a First Order capacity. Would that be a true statement, Ben?”

  
Ben’s gaze flicked around the room before meeting his mother’s questioning eyes.   
  


“That would be correct, General. My only reason for being here is Rey.”

“You can’t possibly just believe that answer!” Poe was beside himself with incredulity.

“Do you think I am so easily fooled, Commander? The Force has always aided me in discerning the truth in the words of others. I can feel the truth in his now, and if he continues to show that he’s not here for the First Order’s interests then he will stay. Now, I agree that guards should be present at all times - for our safety _and his_. Rey is better suited in all ways to assist with that.”

Poe looked like he wanted to interject and was quickly hushed by a look from the General. 

“And as for the weapons General? Can we assume he won’t have access to that lightsaber and be kept in Force dampening cuffs?” Commander D’Acy appeared hesitant but considerate. Leia nodded. 

“That would be best for now. Then are the majority in agreement? Appointed guards, Rey’s assistance and no access to weapons or the Force for the time being?” 

She scanned the room, most in attendance nodded, albeit most did not look completely confident in the decision. Those that disagreed did so openly and leveled their enemy with hostile scowls. 

Poe stormed out of the room with Finn in tow. Leia dismissed the attendees and motioned for Ben and Rey to join her at the front. He took a deep breath and drew one of her small hands into his own, gripping it tightly. 

“I hope you’re both ready for this. Be on your best behavior, but be on your toes. I anticipate some retaliation to my decisions today, and I expect you not to make me regret it. Now, I’ve arranged shared quarters for you and I suggest Ben lie low there until the _excitement_ around here wears off a bit. Rey, you’re free to move around as usual but I don’t envy the response to this news. You’re incredibly strong - don’t forget that. Finally, on a personal note… I have no idea how this happened, or what this means for your roles in this war, but if ever there was a clear sign of hope… you two, together, are it.”

A tear slipped down her affectionate face as she clasped their joined hands in hers and squeezed.

“And Benjamin, please come see me tomorrow. We have so much to discuss.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  


It was nearly time for lights out by the time they were finally settled in their quarters. Exhausted and overwhelmed by the unforeseen circumstances that finally brought them together, they stripped off their clothes and laid down on the slightly larger bed. The enemies turned lovers drifted off in a moment of stolen peace, clutched closely in comforting balance. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note - I’ve updated the tags a bit. Nothing TW worthy, but eventually there will be elements of a little canon spooky fun.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey enjoy being together before preparing themselves for the difficult conversations ahead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some smut!
> 
> ... and then maybe a good cry.

She stirred at the feeling of a large calloused hand running down the length of her side. The cool metal of the Force cuff roused goosebumps from her golden skin and she shivered at the sensation. Her hair was swept off her neck, exposing her gland. A rough tongue licked a firm line across it before moving to nibble on her earlobe. She let out a small whimper when the hand maintained a downward course, pausing right at the apex of her thighs. 

“I couldn’t wait another second to touch you like this. I want to taste that pretty little cunt and fill you up with my knot. I want to watch you fall apart on my cock and make you scream so loud that the entire Resistance knows _exactly_ who you belong to. Do you think you can do that Rey?”

Rey nodded eagerly and turned to face him fully. He pulled her against him, his throbbing length already hard against her thigh, before roughly meeting her wet lips. She opened her mouth to him, hungrily seeking out his wicked tongue. Their tongues writhed together until she finally had to part to take in more air, and Ben took the opportunity to lave her pebbled nipples with teasing nibbles. She moaned at the sharp sensation that bordered right on the edge of pain and pleasure. 

“Ben- _Alpha_ please touch me, please make me cum.”

He grinned at her wolfishly as he got down onto the floor, adjusting her legs over the side of the bed and onto his shoulders. A small gasp escaped her when his lips met her aching core, tongue dragging up through her slick folds before swirling around her tiny bud. He repeated the action again, avoiding touching her exactly where she needed him. A frustrated sound left her lips and he chuckled into her thigh. He swiftly delved back in, plush mouth latching onto her clit, sucking and stroking the flesh there eagerly. The intense attention tore a cry from her throat and he firmly gripped her thighs to steady her. She raked her fingernails through his lush waves as the coil inside wrung tighter and tighter. The orgasm ripped through her only seconds later as she came with a sharp scream. 

He lowered her legs back down, rubbing her thighs and cooing words of encouragement.

“Such a good _Omega,_ so beautiful. I’m going to make you cum again sweet girl. Now get on your hands and knees.” 

Rey quickly obeyed, rolling to her stomach and assuming the position. She shivered slightly in anticipation of him taking her this way. The swollen head of his cock slipped between her folds, soaking him in her slick. One of his hands gripped her hip as he positioned himself at her entrance and started pushing in inch by agonizing inch. He let her adjust for a few moments before pulling out slightly and snapping his hips back to meet her firm bottom. Rey writhed wantonly under him and gripped the sheets more firmly. The pace he set was steady but unrelenting and she couldn’t stop the mewling noises that met each sharp thrust. As his knot began to catch in her velvet warmth, his fingers met her begging clit, rubbing circles again and again until she danced right at the edge of bliss. 

“Oh _fuck,_ oh Ben I’m gonna… **BEN!** ” 

Her walls viciously clamped down on his cock, spurring his own release. Hot cum splashed her walls as his swollen knot held them in place. He pulled her back against his torso, gingerly positioning them to lie on the bed. Ben pressed light kisses to every area of her skin he could reach, finally coming to rest at the curve of her neck. They revelled in each other’s scent, groaning together when his knot shifted slightly inside her. 

  
  
  
  
  


When they were finally able to break apart, they slowly and methodically readied themselves for the day ahead. The room was a welcome respite from what awaited outside and neither were particularly looking forward to the hard conversations ahead. Ben with his mother and Rey with her friends… if she even still had those now. 

“I know you need to see Leia today… did you want me to be there?”

She glanced at him in the mirror as she worked her hair into the signature three bun style. A shaky sigh escaped him. 

“No, but I do wish you were here.” He tapped his head to emphasize his point. The temporary loss of the bond felt inherently _wrong_. It was like he was still there in her periphery but frustratingly out of reach. There was a gaping hole where the other should be in their minds and not having that little assurance of togetherness because of some stupid bracelets made a bubble of rage rise in Rey. She was unconscious for most of her experience and now Ben was expected to endure the dullness for weeks? Months? 

“I’m so sorry Ben. You might as well be in a cell with all this - the guards and those horrible cuffs… being cut off from the Force like this is _cruel.”_

She dropped her watery eyes to the floor. He stepped into her space, tilting her chin to look at him. 

“Rey, I’ve endured much worse than this, and more importantly, I would happily go through worse so we could be together like this. Compared to what we had before this is paradise.” 

She laughed and stood on her toes to place a lingering kiss to his soft full lips. 

“If this is paradise then you certainly have some low standards, Solo.” 

  
  


  
  
  
  
  


The second her palm hit the door panel, the color drained out of Rey’s face. _The guards_. Of course the guards were stationed outside their quarters. Even though Ben said he _wanted_ it to happen in the moment, looking her fellow soldiers in the face knowing they heard them have sex was kriffing embarassing. 

“Uhm well, I guess… I’m just going to see if Finn is in the mess hall then. You’re positive I don’t need to go with you?” 

Ben was too distracted by the nerves of speaking to his mother again to even register mention of the _traitor_. She turned to the closest guard and firmly requested that he show their guest/prisoner to the General’s office directly. The guard nodded, barely looking at the shadow behind her before gesturing down one hallway. Ben pressed a light kiss to her forehead before moving to follow, flanked by the other guards. Rey watched him go and prepared herself for her friends’ judgment. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Leia was waiting for him. Her office was sparse except for a small shelf covered in personal effects. His eyes roamed over the items - settling on a worn holopic of young boy with too-big features and a mop of black hair. A lost boy from a lifetime ago. She motioned for him to sit in the chair across from her and momentarily studied the same features, now grown into, in the man before her. She cleared her throat. 

“You know, when I saw that _TIE_ go down, I was angry- at myself. I was angry that I spent so many years without seeing my boy and that I’d never get to see him grown. I was angry I asked Han to bring you back instead of marching onto that stupid base and doing it myself. But mostly, I was angry that I didn’t get to tell you I never stopped loving you.”

“You certainly had a funny way of showing it. Tell me, your brother tries to **murder** your son in his sleep, and which one do you chase after? Not your son, who you insist you _love_. No, you threw me away long before that. I was raised by _droids,_ not a mother! Certainly not a father, who all but jumped to rush back off to whatever garbage trick the second he landed! I may have needed you then, before you shoved me off on an uncle I barely knew… I don’t need you now.”

  
His mother’s usual strong demeanor faltered and he wondered which truth struck her so deeply.

“Luke- he- he what?! What do you mean he tried to murder you? Please Ben, tell me.”

“You didn’t know? He didn’t tell you what really happened at the temple that night? Your beloved savior crept into my hut and tried to strike me down with his saber while I was sleeping! If I hadn’t woken up to fight back I would have died there. _He_ betrayed _me!”_

“Oh, oh my Gods - I, I didn’t know. I didn’t know, I’m so sorry my boy. I’m so sorry. I would have come for you then, I would have protected you. I thought I was when I sent you to him.”

  
Tears flowed freely down her elegant face and she reached her trembling arms toward her son, holding out her arms in question. 

Seeing his mother break down cracked something inside him. Something that kept his love for the woman who gave him life locked tightly away. He couldn’t stop the memories from rising and tried to close his eyes to block the onslaught. 

_A toddler’s chubby fingers twisting and tugging long brown hair into less than elegant braids. A beautiful young woman with eyes as deep as his own singing him to sleep after another fitful nightmare. The first scent he had ever known - Starflowers from a dead planet - flooding his senses whenever she returned from another trip off-world._

“Mother…”

He immediately moved to pull her into a tight embrace. Sobs escaped his lips and she swayed his grown body as if he was still the small boy who tucked easily into her arms. Hot wet tears fell into her intricate mourning braid and the sight drew ugly guttural cries from deep in his chest. 

“I- I killed dad… I’m sorry, I thought I had to. I thought it would help - that it would free me. I was so wrong mom, I’m so sorry.”

“Oh no my sweet boy, you’re not wrong. He _did_ help free you. He wanted to. He loved you too, Benjamin.” 

Seeing the pure love in her warm brown eyes encouraged him to clutch her petite frame tighter. She began to hum a familiar comforting lullaby into his chest. 

_Mirrorbright, shines the moon, its glow as soft as an ember_

_When the moon is mirrorbright, take this time to remember_

_Those you have loved but are gone_

_Those who kept you so safe and warm_

_The mirrorbright moon lets you see_

_Those who have ceased to be_

_Mirrorbright shines the moon, as fires die to their embers_

_Those you loved are with you still—_

_The moon will help you remember_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do Rey’s friends feel about their new guest? 
> 
> And what’s old Huxy up to?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note about Force suppression cuffs - they can be securely worn without being interlocked (think police cuffs that aren’t linked together). Ben’s definitely walking around sporting some pretty metal bracelets, but his range of motion isn’t any different.

“When I made that joke about her being his darkside bride I didn’t- ughhhhh. Wait! Maybe it was like a one time thing? I mean, I know heats can be _intense_ and maybe he was just there…”

“What are the odds that Rey would just happen to bump into Kylo Ren on Hoth? He wasn’t just magically there, Finn. They _planned_ it. She’s been talking about him for months. Up until he dropped out of the sky yesterday, I was completely convinced that her and the _Ben_ she went on and on about were soulmates.” 

“And now that he’s here?” 

“... I still believe it. You saw them. She _ripped the metal rail off her medical bed_ to find him and he _threw a chair through supposedly unbreakable glass_ to get to her. When I was with them in the medbay it was like watching any other mates together. He calls her _sweetheart_ for kriffs sake! I’m not saying I understand why or how but I can’t deny there’s something there.” 

“Are you serious right now? This is all some Force trick. He manipulated her! It’s all one big ploy to get the Last Jedi to turn! That guy is a _monster_! The only thing he cares about is killing. It’s impossible. The Rey I know would never be with someone like that.” 

Poe was fuming. He’d spent all night pacing the halls of the shared quarters waiting to rescue Rey from the beast she was caged with. When dawn broke with still no cries for help, he finally relented and retreated back to his room with a very confused BB-8 in tow. 

A tray slammed down next to him. 

“And who should the ‘Rey you know’ be with instead? You?”

  
Rey was livid. People kept acting like they knew her, but no one did. No one but Ben. 

“Honestly? Yes! But literally _anyone_ is better than him! I don’t get it Rey. He kidnapped you! He tortured us both, he nearly killed Finn and he _did_ kill his own father! We watched him command the slaughter of an entire village on Jakku! Please help me understand how you went from all that to wearing his kriffing mark on your neck!” 

Finn was decidedly not looking at her and fidgeting anxiously with the gold bracelet identifying him as a beta. It was easily the majority on base - her own pink band being the minority. She thought it was wholly unnecessary to identify Alphas at all, their scent and behavior gave them away without having to check for the black bands on their wrists - exactly how Poe’s were quickly being picked up by nearby Alphas now. The ones who hadn’t moved away already at Rey’s approach were cautiously taking in the scene. 

“Are you actually going to calm down enough to listen? I owe you all an explanation but it won’t help if you can’t even hear it.” 

She reached out tentatively for his hand, scenting him lightly with her calming pheromones. The effect was instantaneous and he squeezed her hand back, letting out a sigh. He let go to rub his hands over his face and then nodded. 

“I, I guess it actually started in Maz’s castle. I felt something calling me to one of the rooms in the basement and I found Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber. When I touched it I had all these horrible visions - men in black armor and me... as a child on Jakku - and a monster in a mask in the snow. I was so afraid and I just ran out into the forest. He was out there, searching for me and BB-8. He didn’t hurt me, just sort of froze me and put me to sleep with the Force. When I woke up in the interrogation room, he tried to enter my mind for the map, but I- I pushed back. I think that’s when the connection happened.” 

“.... connection? As in?” Finn’s brow furrowed. 

“We… we have a Force bond. The Force connects us randomly, like a holocall, but we can touch and feel each other’s emotions - hear each other’s thoughts. The first time it happened was on Ahch-To. It’s just like seeing you in front of me now. At first I was angry, but it kept happening and we just… talked and learned we weren’t truly that different. One night, we touched hands and I had a vision of his future, where I saw him turn and I knew I needed to help. So I asked Chewie to send me to the _Supremacy_ in an escape pod.”

“ **You sent yourself to Kylo Ren in an escape pod?!** Of all the stupid choices-“

“Hey! First, I sent myself to _Ben Solo_ and second, Snoke’s dead isn’t he? Seems to me it wasn’t _all_ bad!”

“Wait, back up, what happened with Snoke?”

“He brought me to Snoke. I was handcuffed and he… tortured me. Then he told Ben to kill me. I actually thought he might for a moment, but he distracted Snoke and cut him in half instead. We fought the guards side by side and then he- then I left him there.” 

She thought it best to leave out the conversation that occurred before she left him. The reactions to her admission of just how long she and Ben had been dancing around eachother were decidedly mixed. Rose and Finn appeared contemplative for the most part but Poe’s face suddenly lit up as if he’d just solved an especially perplexing puzzle.

“You know, it just occurred to me. That night before you left for Hoth, I swore you said ‘Ben’. He was there wasn’t he? With the Force bond thing?” Poe seemed to be connecting the dots from his hazy memories. 

“Oh yea, he was there and he definitely saw _that_.”

Poe wasn’t sure how to respond to the knowledge that the very deadly Alpha had seen him make some very overt invitations toward his mate, but was saved when a hush fell over the room. Rey didn’t have to turn around to know who had just entered. She felt Poe stiffen next to her.

It was Finn who broke the silence first. 

“So how does it feel to be on a base where everyone wants to kill you?”

“No different than usual.”

Ben smirked a bit before sitting down on the other side of Rey. He snuck a hand around her waist, creating a barrier between his Omega and the other Alpha. Three pairs of eyes zoned in on the movement, blanching at the casual nature of the touch. 

The tension was stifling. Rey felt the soldiers around them getting restless, waiting to see what would happen between the group. Rose abruptly chimed in -

“Well! I’m happy you’re not stuck in the medbay anymore, although I guess now it makes more sense why you reacted like that when we saw Poe shoot down that _TIE_.”   
  


Ben knew she’d been in the medbay when he arrived but hadn’t been told what actually transpired that would cause her to be out in Force suppressing binders. Rey struggled to meet his gaze and he saw her hastily wipe an errant tear from her cheek.   
  
  


“Rey, stop. I’m alright. It’s ok. We’re ok.”

His voice was low and soothing, meant for her ears only and she nodded slightly before taking a deep calming breath. 

“And Dameron didn’t hit the _Silencer_. No one did. Three systems went dead at once - which is frankly impossible without _direct_ interference. Hux has been planning a coup since the moment he found me unconscious in the throne room with the Supreme Leader sliced in two by a lightsaber. I’d be shocked if he hasn’t already declared himself the _new_ Supreme Leader by now.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**_Steadfast_ **

  
  
  
  


He had never felt so free - so _powerful._ With that maniacal attack dog gone he was finally able to claim what was rightfully his. He knew many of the older Imperialist officers believed his father Brendol should have been the obvious choice to lead before Snoke took over the First Order. If he had, the title of Supreme Leader would have already been passed to him after his very _unfortunate_ death. Now, he would show them all that despite his beta status and lack of sorcery, he was the superior master.

The First Order needed a firm, ruthless hand to force the galaxy into submission. Ren let chaos abound - ignoring any form of recommended strategic military movements and gallivanting around with his band of monsters searching for absurd mystical contraptions. Left to his own devices, he would have surely destroyed the Stormtrooper program, crippling the might of the glorious regime he had so meticulously worked to prosper. 

Of course, it _was_ ironic that the supposedly loyal Knights of Ren had been the ones to remove this last… obstacle. Their deception was easily acquired when shown the depth of their master’s own treachery. Watching the blade slice through Supreme Leader Snoke was as good as watching the blade slice through Ren’s own body. Such a simple task to ensure complete mechanical failure of his personal vessel - the arrogant fool hadn’t suspected his own underlings’ duplicity and he paid dearly for his mistake. 

The largest of the masked spectres also seemed to be the most amenable to his plans. Ap’lek Ren had been the first to approve swift yet _careful_ judgment for the treason of their master. The one who obviously scavenged garbage armor to poorly craft his own had simply suggested he be executed at the next available opportunity - no patience at all for finesse. Apparently, this was a common trait amongst the other five Knights and he found himself considering the counsel of Ap’lek (the only one of the beasts he even deigned worthy of referring to by name) in designing the _accidental_ execution. An interim ally - or six -in Force matters was going to be essential to the next step. To secure an uncontested pathway to complete dominance, it was vital to wipe the last remnants of the pathetic Resistance from the galaxy.

  
  
  
  
  
  


He needed to destroy their hope once and for all. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


He needed to kill the _Jedi Girl._

  
  



	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux has a message for the Resistance.

The summons came before they had even cleared their trays. All five were specifically requested to join the General in the command room immediately.

As they reached the double doors, a familiar shrill voice rang out and the three men exchanged confused glances. 

_Hux_. 

“....there will be no quarter! The First Order will end this pathetic rebellion once and for all under the command of myself, the rightful Supreme Leader! The usurper _Kylo Ren_ is no more. The Resistance will fall and stability in the galaxy shall be restored. Surrender your wretched _Jedi_ and accept your fate. A new civilization will dawn, free of the shackles of mystical whims. Bow to the Order or perish!”

The holovid paused on a particularly feral expression painting the _Supreme Leader_ ’s face. That wasn’t what caught the attention of the group though. 

It was the six silent wraiths positioned stoically behind him. 

“Who the kriff are they?” 

Poe looked pale. One creature in a mask was enough to throw him, but seeing a half dozen Kylo Ren clones made his stomach turn. 

“The Knights of Ren. Darkside Force warriors. I am- _was_ their Master.” 

Ben snarled the words through clenched teeth. His fury was a tangible thing. He anticipated the betrayal of his general, but the Knights’ disloyalty burned. After everything - Luke’s temple, Snoke’s ‘training’, countless blood soaked missions… they were so easily turned… by _Hux._ That miserable coward. 

His fist struck out and slammed against the durasteel wall, causing the officers to jump and his guards to reach for their blasters. Rey ignored the laser sights, instantly moving to place herself between the threat and her mate. _Soothe Alpha._ She gently cradled his bloodied hand in her own, rubbing gingerly above his torn flesh. 

“If you try to shoot him, I’ll have to redirect the blasts and I’m not half as good as he is at controlling where they end up. So for your sake and ours, I’d put those back in your holsters.” Rey’s suggestion had a slight Force pulse laid into it and the guards reluctantly agreed to the change in direction. 

“Gentlemen, that will be enough. You’re dismissed.” The General relieved the guards with a wave and closed the doors. 

“Now. It seems you were correct in assuming that Hux would seize control over the First Order. He clearly believes you were killed on Yavin 4, which is something we can use to our advantage. I can only guess what he wants with Rey - but it stands to reason that a very public execution wouldn’t be against his _delicate sensibilities_.”

  
  
Ben nodded sharply, eyes still fixed on the visages of those who deceived him so brazenly. _They would not have her._  
  


“If the Knights are going to start hunting me then Ben and I need to train.” 

“That’s a joke - no way. Out of the question.” Poe glanced around the room, shocked to see that some of the officers looking on appeared to actually be seriously _considering_ the suggestion. 

“Rey’s right. The Knights are skilled killers. They’re deadly with and without the Force but especially when they fight as a unit. I trained with them for _years._ I didn’t become their Master by underestimating their capabilities. I can teach you their strengths, their weaknesses, but use of the Force is paramount. If we can hone our connection to sync like we did with the Praetorians- it’s an advantage we can’t afford to ignore when it comes time to act.”

“I understand the need to be prepared for anything, probably more than most. I’ve spent years expecting the worst… I’ve made a career of it. We’ll need to discuss what this training would entail with the rest of command, and it would be helpful for you to divulge any additional information that may assist us with this new threat.” Ben nodded again and Leia gestured for the group to get comfortable. 

“Also, based on this holovid I believe we need to find a new base. There are a few places we’ve catalogued in the past and managed to keep secret as potential headquarters. I’d like Jessika Pava to scout Ajan Kloss with Finn - she’s a hell of a pilot and he’ll be able to identify any First Order presence we’ve missed. You both will leave immediately and report back as soon as possible.” 

The two soldiers saluted their commanding officer and swiftly left to prepare. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Once the rest of high command was fully briefed and understanding of the genuine possibility of losing their _Jedi,_ permission for the two Force users to engage in training drills was easily obtained. Ben Solo would remain guarded, but allowed the use of his weapon during exercises _only_ and under direct supervision of Rey. 

The Force suppression cuffs would also be removed for the time being, barring any behavioral outbursts or threats to members of the Resistance. This had been the most difficult aspect to negotiate, until General Leia reminded them that her son had _personally_ shown Commander Dameron that his ability to fight his way out of the base, if he so chose, was not Force dependent. The point was conceded and their _guest_ was permitted to take part in his new freedoms. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


There were only a handful of times since birth that Ben hadn’t felt the Force - when Snoke wanted to ‘hone his skills’ with a Force dampening collar, and with the Resistance. He held out his hands, trembling slightly as the first lock disengaged. It was just beyond his reach with the other cuff still in place, whispering to him like an eager lover. His fingers tingled with pent up static. 

Finally, _finally,_ the second lock clicked and _he was free._

The Force crashed through him, lighting up his body in an exquisite embrace. His senses enhanced, his reflexes sharpened and the bond sprang to life once more. His mind and body hummed in contentment with the return of the mystical fire and he let out an audible groan. Rey gasped with him, their connection wide open and signatures swirling and mixing in harmony. It was a staggering wholeness, a completeness of two halves being fused together once more. Thick fingers gripped the back of her neck, encouraging her forehead to meet his as their breathing synced. 

  
  
  
  


“Ah, _there_ he is.” 

Leia held her palm to her heart, reveling in the ability to feel his strong Force presence once again. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The crossguard hilt was heavy and intoxicatingly comforting in his hand. The cracked kyber crystal spat angry vitriol toward him, still mourning the loss of wholeness. It was a different melody than his grandfather’s cracked crystal, but no more piercing. 

He ignored its call, mentally commanding it to ignite. The crackling blade sprang to life, firing the two vents on either side a half moment later. He heard several panicked gasps from the crowd gathered to watch the two Force users and felt at once proud and ashamed of his ability to elicit the reaction. Rey must have read the expression on his face and lit her own weapon, the second blade igniting to the sound of astonished whispers. 

The pair circled each other, sizing up their opponent. They’d trained like this only once before on Ahch-to when her saberstaff was newly forged and both were eager to stretch their muscles without having to hold back for once. Droids and sparring partners helped hone their skills, but being allowed to let go with an equal was a singular experience. They agreed to close the bond, wanting to gauge their abilities apart before embarking on sharpening their movements as one unit. 

Ben swung out first, aiming his powerful strike toward her left side, causing her to roll roughly to her right to avoid his blade. Her style was much more acrobatic than his and it was in her best interest to avoid taking the full weight of his saber against hers. She was quick and agile, but he was vicious and unrelenting. 

She thrust one end of her saberstaff toward his abdomen, which he brushed to the side easily. They danced back and forth, moving across the jungle floor to dodge and parry. Each time their blades met, their focus intensified and they struck back harder and faster. 

Rey flung her body upwards, twisting midair to land behind him. However, he anticipated her maneuver and drew her against him with the Force before she could hit the ground. Her back met his front, trapping her in his embrace with one arm. The hiss of his blade pressed dangerously close to her throat and he chuckled. 

“Guess you weren’t so lucky this time, _little Jedi._ ”

Looking down, he realized that only one of her blades was visible. He followed the line of the hilt she held in a reverse grip upward….

… where it was pressed firmly against his abdomen…

  
  
  
  


extinguished. 

  
  


“Guess it’s lucky my reflexes are quicker than yours, _Supreme Leader.”_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Tell me about them. Tell me about your Knights.”

She rested her spent body next to his on the warm jungle floor, staring up at the rapidly darkening sky. He turned to look at her slowly, taking in her earnest freckle dusted face and wishing he could escape the reality of their situation for just a few more moments. He opened his side of the bond, not daring to spoil the air with spoken words. 

As he whispered descriptions of his former _allies_ into her mind, he flashed their images. 

_“Vicrul collects souls - he believes it makes him more powerful. His reflexes are lightning quick and he has the ability to amplify fear._

_Cardo prefers mass attacks to single combat - I would expect him to employ tactics that would effect a large number of us. Think flash grenades, smoke, etc._

_Trudgen will have the most distinctive armour. He melds it himself from trophies of the enemies he’s felled in battle._

_Ushar enjoys humiliating opponents. Ask him for mercy and he will show you none._

_Kuruk will likely be hiding out somewhere high, aiming to pick us off one by one._

_And finally, Ap’lek. He will be the most deadly. Do not underestimate him. He can use the Force to confuse us - confuse our equipment. He’ll try to disorient us and trap us.”_

Rey kept her eyes on his, securing the information away for the rapidly approaching time when she would need it. She grabbed for his hand before turning back to the sky to watch the stars. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The distress signal came in right as the base was starting to wind down for the evening. The beacon had been manually engaged but the comms tower was unable to pick up anything beyond static from the small shuttle. If the shuttle was badly damaged the two soldiers would be unable to repair it on the uninhabited moon without outside aide. The General decided that a two person rescue mission would be launched when dawn broke the next day. 

  
  
  
  


“I have to go Ben, Finn is my best friend and we can’t wait any longer to move bases if Hux knows where we are. Which means we also can’t afford for both of us to go and leave the Resistance without someone who can help defend them if the Knights find the base. You know the Knights better than anyone, it has to be you here. I mean, maybe it’ll help win some of them over - show a little dedication to the cause.”

She shot him a wink and _almost_ got a chuckle back.

“But seriously, Ajan Kloss isn’t even dangerous - the worst predator is a bug and it’s hidden from the First Order. For all we know a tree fell on their ship while they were scouting and damaged the communicator. I’ll even take Beaumont with me - he can talk my ear off about the entire history of the galaxy and he’s alright with a blaster. Plus, he’s a beta.”

She tried to lighten the mood and keep her apprehension from leaking over to him, but both felt unsettled by her rapid departure. He sighed heavily, roughly tugging his fingers through his wavy mane. 

“You’re right. I know you’re right. I just - I can’t lose you. I know you don’t _need_ me to protect you but I can’t help _wanting_ to. All my instincts are telling me to lock you in our quarters and slice through anyone who comes near. It’s selfish.”

“And part of me wants you to do that too. I don’t want to be separated again. It’s just a few days… that’s nothing for us right? Maybe the Force will connect us, and if it doesn’t we still have the bond. We’ll know each other are safe until we’re back together.” 

He was too exhausted from training and stress to argue. Rey pressed him down into their shared bed and wrapped his broad frame around her slight one. His fingers clutched at her, willing her to stay close as he buried his face into her neck, luxuriating in their shared scent. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Ben walked solemnly next to her toward the hangar the next morning. Beaumont waited with a stack of holobooks - no doubt about the history of the Cademimu sector - but kept his distance, allowing the couple privacy to say their goodbyes. Poe stood back with the group of guards, pointedly ignoring the interaction until his own turn to wish Rey clear skies. 

“I love you, Ben. I’ll come back.” 

Her body struggled to form distance between them and her instincts screamed for her to _Stay with Alpha. Alpha will protect you._

“I know, sweetheart.” _Protect Omega. Don’t let Omega leave._ He shook away the same biological instincts and gazed down at her hesitantly before swiftly tugging her into a full lingering kiss. 

A less than discrete cough ended the moment and they reluctantly broke apart. Poe stepped forward to address his friend with a charming grin. 

  
  


“Bring my pilot and that trooper back here so they can get their asses in shape too - they don’t get to duck out on all this training just because they’re stranded! As the General would say, may the Force be with you.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Beaumont approach Ajan Kloss while Ben deals with being at the Resistance base without his mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mind the tags.

Even the dull roar of the engines and Beaumont’s endless stream of information couldn’t quiet her nerves. What if Finn and Jessika had been injured? 

The way the General described the jungle moon, it shouldn’t have posed any real risk to explorers beyond getting lost in the caves… maybe they set off the distress signal because one was lost and they couldn’t respond to hails because they were out looking? Definitely possible. Her mind filtered through hundreds of scenarios, some hopeful and some disastrous and some straight up ridiculous - like Finn and Jessika had decided to give up the war effort and become caregivers of the native Zymod (which Beaumont apparently thought were fascinating due to their ability to change colors at will). 

She’d heard rumors of planets with flowers whose pollen caused anyone who came into contact with it to become overwhelmed with lust - but no, Finn wouldn’t do that to Rose, even under some raunchy plant’s influence. 

Ben sent a questioning tendril through the bond at the sudden sexual nature of her thoughts. 

_Your mother would have mentioned if any of those creepy sex flowers were on Ajan Kloss right?_

She felt his boisterous laughter ring through her head and smiled. 

_I’m positive that’s something she would have shared. Even with the contraceptive implants the Resistance provides, having your entire military force deep in the thralls of passion constantly can’t be very advantageous._

  
  
  
  


“What are you laughing at?” Poe addressed him with confusion. Ben was still standing just inside the doorway of their quarters and had been too startled by Rey’s thoughts to shut the door behind him. 

“Rey was wondering about some of the flora on Ajan Kloss.” He tapped his temple a few times to clarify. 

“So you weren’t just hanging out in here cackling to yourself like an evil darkside maniac? That’s a relief.” 

“Alas, pilot, you’re just a few standard hours too early.” 

The easy friendly rapport caught them both off guard. Poe cleared his throat. 

“Uh yea, so anyway, I was just wondering if you’d let me know when you heard anything about Jess or Finn… you know, with that… Force commlink or whatever?” 

“Of course.” 

Poe mumbled a thanks and hastily made back out of the room. Ben was too restless to stick around the space devoid of _her_ and tilted his head toward his ever-present guards, who followed after him down the corridor.

  
  
  
  


He turned the corner to the sound of a small group of men jeering. A blonde soldier wearing greasy coveralls seemed to be instigating the reaction. 

  
  


“I know we’ve all pictured what’s under that uniform in the hangar right? Shame to waste a tight body like that. Can you imagine how desperate that little bitch’s heats must be if she let _him_ fuck her? I bet she begs for any knot she can find! Maybe next time a few of us can make her scream…”

The laughter abruptly stopped. Abject terror spread across the other mechanics’ faces and the loudmouth whipped around sharply to find the distraction. His eyes blew open in shock when they fell on the impressively large, dark form directly behind him. 

“Maker I-I didn’t… I wouldn’t- _please oh Gods_ don’t-“

The words died on his lips and he stumbled backward into the group of previously raucous men. He gestured desperately for the guards to interfere but even they kept a careful distance. Rage swelled through Ben’s muscles as he considered how many he could choke out of existence before he was stopped - if they even _could_ stop him. 

Rose’s Omega senses must have tingled because she appeared in a cloud of cool, calculated authority. 

“Calm down there fellas - it’s not actually _him_ you have to worry about with that… it’s _her_. If Rey was even able to locate your minuscule dicks at all, I wonder which side of her saber she’d use to slice them off? No wait, that would be way too quick… hmm… maybe she’d use the Force to just kind of _twist_ and _tear_ until they ripped off? Does that sound right, Ben?”

He grinned broadly at her before stepping toward the group. They leaned back instinctively. 

“Honestly, she’s right. My _Omega_ might even be more terrifying than me.” He inclined his head, whispering conspiratorially. He winked at their gaping faces and turned on his heel, leaving the stunned men to reconsider their misplaced interests. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Thank you, Rose.”

“Don’t sweat it. There are still so many Alphas out there that think Omegas just exist for one reason. They can’t all be advanced creatures like you and Poe.” She shot him a teasing wink. “Any word from Rey yet?” Rose tried to keep her voice even but he picked up on the worry for her own mate. 

“They were just about to drop out of hyperspace so they should be entering atmosphere soon.”

“Good. Do you… do you mind if I kind of hang around in case you hear anything else? I’m off shift and doubt I’d be able to concentrate on dinner anyway…” 

“I don’t mind at all. It, uh, would be easier if I could focus somewhere quiet though. The hangar is mostly empty now, correct?”

“Poe and BB-8 are probably tinkering around still but other than that most people will be grabbing something in the mess hall.” 

He gestured for her to lead the way. When they approached the entrance, an orange and white blur shot toward him, shocking him without warning. 

“Hey! Watch it, ball!” He rubbed his charged leg and scowled down at the little astromech. 

“I was going to apologize, but then I saw it was you and decided I can’t really blame him.” Poe chuckled and rubbed the droid’s domed head. “Does you being here mean you’ve talked to Rey?” 

Ben scowled at the BB unit again and tried to focus on the connection, tugging at the bond gently. 

Rey snapped into focus with a frantic buzz. Her head jerked toward him and her eyes filled with cautious relief. 

  
  
  
  


“What’s wrong? Did you make it on-world?”

“I’m not sure. We’re here but I haven’t found Finn or Jessika yet. But Ben, something here feels… dark. Cold. Like that cave on Ahch-to.”

He furrowed his brow. His mother and uncle had never mentioned it being a Force sensitive place. 

“You feel the darkside there? Can you show me what you feel?”

He lifted his fingers to her temple and shut his eyes. She opened her mind completely to him, pushing across the sensations she was getting. 

  
  
  


_Ominous shadows… sinister intention... wanton destruction… bloodlust… power……._

  
  


His eyes shot open. **_No._ **

  
  
  
  
  
  


“ **LEAVE!** Rey, it’s the Knights, it’s a trap! **_Get back on the ship and GO_** **!** ” 

  
  


The connection slammed shut. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Her body went rigid. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as a wave of icy dread fell over the jungle. A sharp crack to her right drew her into a fighting stance. She clutched the hilt of her saberstaff tightly, willing her breathing to calm so she could focus. Her finger hovered over the ignition. 

  
  
  


And Finn burst into view. 

  
  


“REY! Oh Maker! We need to get out of here - the Knights, they’re here!” 

“Oh thank R’iia you’re alive! I know they are - I can _feel_ it. Where’s Jess?” She hugged him warmly and scanned the area around them. Finn released her and shook his head. 

“No, she’s… she didn’t make it. Something messed with our sensors and none of the ship’s controls responded. All I could do was send out the signal before we crashed. I’ve been running in circles since to get as far away from _them_ as possible. I - I think they haven’t killed me on purpose and I don’t want to stick around her to find out why. Let’s get the Kriff out of here!”

They took off running back toward the shuttle where she had instructed Beaumont to wait. Rey thanked R’iia again when the thrum of the engines met her ears, the ship primed and ready to leave. All they had to do was reach the ramp and jump to hyperspace. 

  
  
  
  


The jungle went silent. 

  
  
  
  


“Tsk tsk _little Jedi_ , can’t make it too easy on you.”

Her blood ran cold. The sound of the voice through the vocoder was familiar but offered no comfort. Malice dripped behind the mask. An image flashed to life - _Vicrul Ren_.   
  


Ben slammed against the walls of her mind as the image filtered across. His efforts were frantic, desperate. She had to actively shut him out - she needed to focus now. 

Rey lit one end of her saber and gestured for Finn to move behind her. Four cloaked figures appeared. _Four?_ She reached out with the Force… fifth further away - maybe at their own ship? - and sixth… in hers.

_Beaumont_. 

“What have you done to my friend?”

“Nothing. Yet. We need you to come with us. There’s someone who is very interested in meeting you.” The chuckle he emitted was laced with foul promise. 

“I’m not going _anywhere_ with you!”

She shoved the visible Knights back with a Force push and made it the rest of the way to her ship with Finn in tow. Beaumont appeared at the top of the ramp, glassy eyed and unconcerned. A massive figure, maybe even as large as Ben, slowly emerged from the shadows behind him. _Ap’lek_ _Ren._

They were cornered and outnumbered.

But Rey was a fighter. She would fight. She would save her friends. She held her saber arm up, eyes level with the brilliant white gold blade, a mirror of Ben’s posture in the throne room. She dared them. 

“So nice of you to join us, but there’s no need for that. It’s very simple. You can fight and lose, which would be _such_ a tragedy given the plans we have for you, or you can come willingly and maybe I’ll consider leaving the scum out of it.” 

Even with the helmet in place, she felt Ap’lek sneering the words. The other Knights were closing the circle around them, predators waiting for the kill. 

“REY!”

The Force around her vibrated with warning and she ducked a half second before an enormous vibrocleaver whipped through the air. Missing it’s target, the blade sliced angrily through the jungle floor before being brought back up to strike again. She thrust herself out of reach but still blocking Finn. The Knight’s comrades kept silent vigil, analyzing their opponent. 

The vibrocleaver was lethal but cumbersome and she was much more agile than the man in the partial death trooper mask before her. _Trudgen Ren._ She pushed a small suggestion his way to drop the blade, which his mind fought - but the distraction was just enough for her to slide her lithe body to his unarmed side, where she ignited her second blade in a deadly arc. The blade made contact between his cobbled helmet and shoulder, felling him instantly. The maneuver was successful, but she didn’t notice. 

She did, however, notice the sharp, stabbing pain in her ribs. _A second blade._ Oh, oh no. She was so stupid. Finn yelled and ran to her, placing his body as a shield between his friend and their enemies. Her hand came away from the wound warm and sticky. 

Ap’lek _cackled_ at her stunned expression. Then he ruthlessly raised his own axe and brought it down over Beaumont’s neck, cleaving his head from his body. 

_No!_ Rey screamed and scrambled out of Finn’s arms and toward her foe. 

“Now now, you only have one more to save! You’d allow him to die just as easily?” 

She stumbled. _Not Finn._ He was unarmed and rapidly approached by the three Knights on the ground. They were outnumbered and she was wounded. She couldn’t risk him.

“I- I’m so sorry Finn. I need you safe. Tell him I’m so sorry.”

  
She wouldn’t let the traitorous tears fall. Her face hardened and she stood tall as she addressed the hulking demon once more. 

“Let Finn leave and I’ll come with you.”

Ap’lek tilted his head and gestured for Finn to make his way up the ramp of her ship. 

“Rey! **NO! Don’t do this!** I can’t let you, I won’t!” 

He gripped her arms firmly and forced her to look at him. Rey regarded the face of her first friend, taking in every little feature and committing them to memory. The tears resolved to fall anyway and as the sound of another ship approached, she let his consciousness fade away.   
  


  
  
  
  
  
  



	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey has been captured by the Knights of Ren and the Resistance considers their next move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up for some light noncon touching and conversation about sexual violence. Remember, there will be no rape in this fic but the threat is there in the next few chapters.

The _Night Buzzard_ was a foul reflection of the ghastly crew who claimed it. The former prison ship was crudely modified in the same fashion as the Knights’ armor - dreary and violent. Rey choked on the fumes that poured from the engines, blackening the sky and clouding her vision further. The half hazard pyre still burned just outside the ship and more smoke spewed forth as the flames rapidly consumed their fallen comrade.

The pain in her side was magnified by the toxic air and each breath she drew felt leaden and constricted. She was being crushed in an iron grip - _which one was this again?_ Her thoughts were muddled and she sluggishly considered that the blade had probably been poisoned. 

A groan escaped her as she was dumped on the metal floor of a cell. The grates cut sharply into her knees, adding more blood to the quantity that rapidly dripped down her side. They hadn’t even bothered to use any Force dampening tech on her in her current state. 

“You smell that?”

“I can’t believe it! Kylo _claimed_ this little bitch? I thought it was just fucking, but this is pathetic.” Was it… Ushar? Rey could just barely lift her heavy eyelids to make out which mask the voice came from. 

“Hey now, she’s a skinny little desert rat but I bet she’s feisty. You saw her take down Trudg… she probably struggles the _whole_ time. Pretends she doesn’t want an Alpha to rough her up a bit. Personally I always thought a little fight just makes it more fun.” 

The sadistic tone in Vicrul’s voice made her shudder. She tried to cover herself from the leering eyes she knew were hidden under their masks. 

“If you like dipping your knot in all that sand! That shit gets everywhere.” 

The mechanical laughter made her nauseous. Was this what the Knights wanted her for? Screw her and hand her over to Hux to die?

  
  


“Unless you want to present the Supreme Leader with a _Jedi_ corpse, sedate her and patch her up.”

Ap’lek tossed what looked like a small med kit to Vicrul. 

The stench of Alpha desire laced with violence filled her nose as he entered the cell. She instinctively tried to turn away and put as much space between her and the predatory devil. She’d felt this kind of intent before on Jakku - times when she was alone in a wreck or walking across the dark sands and another scavenger would try to force their lust on a seemingly easy target. But Rey was not prey. She would fight like she always had. 

A rough gloved hand pushed up her tunic, skimming her breast band, before a tingling patch was slapped over her wound. She grimaced when the hand lingered on her skin and she reached out for her saberstaff. She met empty air. 

“Skinny and stupid!” Vicrul howled with laughter. “Oh the fun we could have. Sorry, _baby,_ time for bed.”

She bared her teeth at his mask as the sharp pinch of a needle broke her skin. Her body became less and less responsive and he ran his hands down her slowly and deliberately before stepping back. The clang of the door swinging shut was the last sound her conscious mind registered. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Hey! Hey man, what happened?! One second you’re talking to air and the next the whole hangar feels like it’s collapsing!” 

Poe crouched down to level with the man on his knees, eyes wild and hands clenched in his hair. The ships around them had finally stopped shaking and the threat of being decapitated by flying tools seemed to have passed. The overhead lights were definitely shattered and glass surrounded the trio and little droid. 

“Ben? You said… you said you felt the _Knights_? Is Rey…? Finn?” 

Rose approached him cautiously. Her boots crunched over glass shards and she reached a small hand out to one of his forearms. She knudged his arm and encouraged him to release the grip on his locks and snap back to reality. 

Ben let his hands slide back to his sides and swallowed thickly. He blinked rapidly and lifted his face to meet her questioning eyes. 

“No, no I can still feel her. She’s blocking me out but she’s there. I would know. _I would know_.”

“Good, that’s good. And the others?” The hope in her brown eyes stung and he had to look away. 

“I don’t know. She said she couldn’t find them… but the Knights being there…” he let his voice trail off as he sunk deeper into the knowledge that the most merciless and deadly group in the galaxy - a group he _trained_ to be that way - had his mate. The chance that her friends had survived the encounter were too slim to give voice to but he couldn’t put that on Rose now. 

“I know if she found them, she would protect them with her life. She is absolutely terrifying when she’s angry. Rey is still alive. There’s still a chance.” 

He chuckled a bit at the memory of her face in the snow, feral and full of mighty vengeance. It was a shame he wasn’t able to see his _brothers’_ reaction to being caught wholly unprepared for his deadly star. 

Rose nodded, cracking a small smile while wiping the few tears from her face. She remembered how fiercely Rey defended her friends on and off the battlefield. Rey would bring Finn back to her. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The commotion in the hangar rapidly drew other curious Resistance members. The guards stood too shell shocked to interfere with the Force user’s outburst and the aftermath had them even more unsettled. BB-8 tittered away to seek a cleaning droid because _this was not part of his programming._

Lieutenant Connix rushed through the door, beckoning the group to follow her down to the communication room. They ran down the hallways after her and impatiently waited for the news from Ajan Kloss. 

“We’ve had communication with Jedi Rey’s ship! It’s Finn. He’s stating that he’s alone and returning to base.” Kaydel puffed out the words between breaths. 

“Patch him through here!” Ben shouted the order at the nearest soldier who rushed to comply. Poe leaned toward the comm unit with a careful grin and addressed his friend. 

“Finn! Buddy it’s good to hear from you! What happened? Where’s everyone else?”

“Poe! There’s… there’s no one else. Our ship went down and Jess didn’t survive the crash. But the Knights were there. It was a trap. I ran until I heard Rey’s ship. They found us and they… they killed Beaumont. Rey wouldn’t go - she fought. She killed one of them - he had some death trooper armor - but he got her. She was hurt and the big one told her to come with him or he’d kill me too. She knocked me out. Tell Ben… tell him I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” 

“Ok, it’s ok, I hear you. Just come back to us.”

“She had her saber but her pack is here with everything else in it.”

“That’s good, we’ll get it back to her ok?”

“No, no, I mean _everything else_ is in there. And now she’s with them… and I think- I think they were all Alphas.”

  
Confused, Poe turned to look at Ben. His face was even paler than usual and he uttered one whispered word. 

  
  


“ _Suppressants.”_

  
  


Horror fell over his face. Poe couldn’t respond. The room went silent, all communications paused while understanding sunk in. An Omega, unsuppressed and alone with a clique of vicious, depraved Alpha darksiders.

  
  
  


Ben wanted to rip off his skin. Tear down the walls of the makeshift base and crush the throats of every single sentient being on the planet. 

Leia roughly gestured for her son to follow her outside where the jungle had grown dark with the sky. 

  
  


“Don’t worry, Ben. That girl is a survivor. She needs you to keep a level head now. You can’t go rushing after her without a plan. She’ll fight and we’ll find her in time. She’s out… hmm… just past there, I think.” She gestured toward a cluster of stars to their left. 

“You can feel her too?” 

He turned to his mother, incredulous. He felt the tiny thread connecting them leading the same direction she had indicated. 

“In a way. Since the moment I felt you in my womb - a tiny little spark - so bright… with a swirl of dark. It was always there, even in the darkest moments. It’s a bit like the bond between twins, the bond between mother and child. Then add the Force and it’s like a beacon. I believe I could find your signature anywhere in the galaxy. Now that you’ve found your mate, I can feel a little bit of you out there with her too. Lighter and more muted, but enough to lead the way.”

He took comfort in the confirmation that someone else could sense her alive in the vastness and sent a wave of strength and adoration down the bond. _Alpha will find you. Alpha will protect you._

Two pairs of cautious footsteps met mother and son. Rose looked altogether relieved but sick with another worry now and Poe actually extended an arm to give his sort of enemy/friend’s shoulder a quick squeeze in solidarity.

The General clapped her hands together and addressed them matter-of-factly. 

  
  


“Now, the fact that she’s still alive means General Hux must have something up his sleeve. A public execution, maybe. Any ideas why he would feel compelled to give an order to capture instead of kill?”

“I couldn’t say for sure, but Snoke had the other Knights on missions all over the galaxy to find Sith _and_ Jedi holocrons. One Jedi holocron requires a memory crystal to open, which was supposed to be on Yavin 4. The Knights were meant to rendezvous with me there. He would need someone powerful in the light side of the Force to be able to open it.” 

Poe’s face scrunched up in confusion. 

“Wait. A crystal? My mother… Luke gave her a piece of the uneti tree to plant on Yavin 4. He gave her something else too though. Something to keep safe. She used to tell me that a crystal heart lived inside that tree. Oh gods, that was it, wasn’t it? They found it.”

Leia nodded softly. 

“Unfortunately, the fact that they set a trap for Rey on Ajan Kloss is likely confirmation of that. But I believed Hux was extremely opposed to anything Force related, especially now without Snoke and yourself present?”

“He’s a man obsessed with power and his own legacy. Using the Knights is proof enough that he would use the Force for his own gain, no matter how much he detests it.” 

“What did Snoke want the holocrons for?” Rose rolled the new information around in her mind. 

“He collected Sith artifacts, but as for what he was looking for with the Jedi holocrons, I’m not sure. Sith holocrons are deceitful by nature and often hidden somewhere that requires the seeker to pass a test of worthiness - it makes sense he wouldn’t want to risk seeking those himself. The only reason I know of to want both is to fuse them… and that’s incredibly rare. Holocron fusion can only occur when a darksider _and_ lightsider open their holocrons in tandem. It’s old knowledge and the exact method is lost as far as records go. But, if he was able to get a darksider and lightsider to do it, they’d potentially be able to ask _any_ question… about _anything_ … and be given the knowledge. How to bring the galaxy to its knees, live forever, anything.”

“Stars. We need to stop him. A man like that with the ability to seek power like that… we can’t stand by and watch. Rey is the most powerful lightsider now and I can only imagine what they’ll put her through if she refuses him in this. Commander Dameron and Commander Tico, by the time Finn returns I want a plan ready. Have comms locate the _Steadfast_ and start reaching out to our allies. We still have them - they’ll come. Especially once word of the return of _Ben Solo_ spreads across our channels.”

The officers saluted their understanding to their General and swiftly took off back toward the communication room. 

  
  
  
  


  
  


  
  



	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Resistance rallies their forces and Rey is presented to the Supreme Leader.

The next few hours were a blur - plans and diagrams and working and reworking what could be done based on the responses to their plea. A thousand different call signs flew through the communication center as messages were dispatched, all broadcasting the same impossible news - Ben Solo, the lost Prince of Alderaan, had returned and was seeking support to fight the final battle against the First Order. 

The son of the beloved Princess Leia Organa and infamous smuggler Han Solo was believed by most to have been lost during the downfall of the legendary Master Luke Skywalker’s temple. Though not wholly untrue, it was a well guarded secret that the boy had been reborn as Kylo Ren, _Jedi Killer_ and former Supreme Leader.

But now that monster was gone in a fiery blaze and Ben Solo had risen as a Phoenix from the ashes. 

The death of the legendary Skywalker was heard all over the galaxy. Many allies believed that without the mysterious power of the Force on their side, the war was lost. Rumors of the last remaining Jedi, Rey from Jakku, had begun to encourage the downtrodden to rise again after failing to provide aid to the Resistance on Crait. They had lost the Jedi who saved the galaxy from the Emperor - they could not stand by and lose another. 

The knowledge that _two_ Jedi warriors defended the Resistance, and that one of those two was now in the hands of the cruel Armitage Hux, rallied the last reluctant supporters to commit to action. The enthusiastic responses poured in; allies pledged credits, supplies, ships, soldiers, armaments and even intel if they could, and if not, they eagerly volunteered to physically join the fight. Support came from the most populated core worlds to the furthest desolate reaches of the galaxy, all ready to jump into the fray at a moment’s notice. 

  
  


The pings of communiques and constant streams of holocalls kept most of the base up through the night, the anticipation of a victory too tangible to let something as inconsequential as sleep creep in now. Soldiers ran from one area to another, putting the finishing touches on ships, packing up supplies, cleaning weapons and preparing to take in any nearby allies who would arrive to fly out with them. Spirits and tension were so high that it felt like the very walls were buzzing around them. 

  
  


Finn had since returned to the base, alone. A grim reminder of what they were fighting to save and all they had lost. He swept up his sobbing friend and mate in a crushing embrace and Ben felt a wave of guilt watching them. He helped bring so much destruction. He had a chance now to put an end to it - to begin to atone for his many sins. Failure wasn’t an option. 

  
  
  
  


And then, an encoded message from the pirate queen herself queued up - the _Steadfast_ was in orbit just over Mandalore. The allies were informed and it was agreed that forces would coordinate to ambush the fleet in two days time. Two days and Rey and the rest of the galaxy would be free of the First Order. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_**Steadfast** _

  
  
  
  


Rey felt like bantha shit. 

She had the vague sensation of floating but her head pounded so loudly that she couldn’t focus. Her ribs ached and her wrists were heavy. The muscles in her neck protested when she tried to lift her head so she resorted to letting it hang limply in front of her, lolling around as her body was jostled to the next location. Which was… somewhere? Where was she? 

The air circulating around her was cold with the distinct scent of ozone. Not the pleasant naturally occurring ozone of Ben, but the chemical recycled ozone of a ship. _A ship… the Knights!_

Rey tried to struggle against her captors but her limbs wouldn’t respond. She screamed and the sound garbled and stuck in her throat. The Force surrounded her, but remained frustratingly out of reach. _More kriffing Force cuffs?_ She was tossed into yet another cell and sealed inside. 

She cracked open one eye from her place on the ground and in her peripheral a blurry figure emerged. _Ugh, that orange hair._ She felt the Knight shift and bow slightly in front of the frigid ginger. 

“Supreme Leader. At last, the final piece to your eternal reign.”

“Excellent. Now hurry up and get to the task at hand so we can dispose of this trash once and for all.”

“As you wish. Immortality will be yours sooner than you think. _Long live the Supreme Leader_.”

  
Ap’lek plunged the needle deep into the other man’s neck before knocking him off his feet and into the neighboring cell. Hux sputtered in indignation and shock marred his pale face as he clutched his pierced flesh. 

“YOU - YOU **TRAITOR**! You’ll be executed for your this! The First Order will not be at the mercy of you and your ridiculous band of aberrations!” 

  
Spittle flew out against the cell bars as he alternately howled for the guards and spewed insults at his masked captor. 

When it became apparent that his guards had conveniently been given leave prior to the encounter, he backed away from the bars, straightened his uniform and smoothed his hair. He narrowed his gaze and fixed the Knight with an icy glare. 

“Not poison? What undignified death do you have planned for your Supreme Leader then?”

“Death? Oh no, I kept my word in that regard. Immortality _will_ be yours… just not in the way you expected.” He chuckled lowly through the vocoder, causing the hairs on the back of Hux’s neck to stand up. “I believe you’re familiar with Imperial bioweapon research? Specifically Project I71A?”

“V- Vader’s bioweapon? Project Blackwing? **_No!_ ** It was destroyed. The formula is lost! The laboratory on Dandoran is rubble, all outbreaks were ended years ago - It’s impossible!” 

“Have you heard the tale of Darth Drear the Sith alchemist? Who do you think it was that created the Sickness? Those holocrons you brushed off as ‘sorcery trash’ held a wonderous secret - that very formula for an elixir to extend life indefinitely. But Darth Drear provided the missing element for _true immortality_ that Project Blackwing lacked... and this is why the Jedi lives, for now. Get comfortable Hux, I have heard the process is rather _messy_ , but the end result is miraculous. You understand, of course, about the ends justifying the means.” 

“My troopers are loyal to a fault! They will not stand by while you commit treason!”

“I think you’ll find they will. You know your Stormtroopers’ helmets are actually quite impressive - designed to filter out noxious gases… and _almost all_ airborne biological contaminants. Such a shame they won’t be very useful at all with this particular one.”

He turned to address the other prisoner.

“Oh, and try to keep away from the bars, _Jedi,_ we don’t want you to get bit. It won’t be long now, for _either_ of you.”

“Wait- what? I’m sick too?” 

Rey quickly scanned the rest of her body for any obvious injuries or injection sites. Finding none, she searched the mask for his meaning. 

“I wouldn’t consider lust to be an illness. Passion is one of the tenets of the darkside. Can’t you feel it, _Omega?_ The heat rising in you?”

A disgusted gag came from the adjacent cell. She ignored the obvious jab and turned her attention once again to the Knight. She straightened her back, set her jaw and spoke in a fearless tone. 

“Whatever you have planned, you don’t know me at all. You underestimate what I’m capable of and I won’t just roll over for you or anyone.”

“That may be the case now, but in a few days I expect you’ll be singing a different tune entirely. Not only will you do _anything_ I command, but you’ll beg for it. Until then, I apologize for the company.”

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The battle is next!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Knights of Ren put their plans into motion and the Resistance comes to the rescue.

**_Steadfast_ **

  
  
  


“Hey KR, you up for sabaac after shift? TS-0981 and those two new guys are still out sick and I’ve had to cover. _Again_.”

“Only if you’re ready to lose more of that jogan cake! Hope you’ve been saving up!” 

KR-8291 chuckled as he put on the rest of his gear. The commissary was likely serving extra salty nuna jerky again and he was looking forward to something sweet. TS-2604 would inevitably lose, as always, but was a good sport and could do the most accurate (and hilarious) impersonation of the new Supreme Leader he’d ever heard. It was so accurate that more than a few unsuspecting new arrivals would jump to attention if they stumbled upon their late night sabaac games in the middle of one of his imitations. 

It was simple moments like this that made the endless propaganda and monotonous sixteen hour shifts bearable. The First Order kept them well enough but he and some of the other troopers had started to privately and _discreetly_ discuss the way of things after hearing of FN-2187’s defection. 

One mission was all it took for the fellow soldier to switch sides and join the Resistance. The occasional murmurs of dissatisfaction within the Order had started to grow louder with all the recent changes. Since Supreme Leader Kylo Ren’s death, Hux had become even more aggressive and severe with him and his comrades. Training was scheduled for earlier and went on longer, missions were to increasingly dangerous areas of the galaxy and more and more troopers were being sent for reconditioning. There were rumors that Kylo Ren had been trying to make unimaginable - almost _humanitarian_ \- changes to the Stormtrooper program - to potentially see them as _individuals_ instead of little more than expendable clones. 

But now Kylo Ren was gone, and the tiny rebellions of sabaac after dark and gambled Jogan cakes would have to do, for now. 

Suddenly the thought of Jogan made his stomach turn. If he was getting ill too he should check in with the medical staff before shift… maybe he’d even get a little time off. He tugged on his helmet and headed in the direction of the medbay. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The only sign that it had shifted to the night cycle onboard the _Steadfast_ was the slight dimming of the overhead lights. Rey had slept through the first night cycle completely, physically exhausted from the outpouring of adrenaline and being kept under less than comfortable sedation for the journey to the ship. She wanted to fight the blanket of unconsciousness that wrapped around her but knew being as well rested as possible would help keep her mind sharp when Ap’lek returned. She shoved away her longing for her mate, which was growing rapidly into _desire_ for him, and tried to focus on getting out of her cell before full blown heat took over and she was at the mercy of a pack of sadistic Alphas. She couldn’t feel them in the Force and none of the others had made their presence known to her here yet. That was all well and good for her; she didn’t need to see their lingering glances and hear their disgusting declarations toward her body. 

The Knight hadn’t checked on his prisoners again since the first day she arrived. She figured it had been almost two days since Ajan Kloss, and now the start of the second night cycle. 

Hux had gotten progressively more agitated and was showing increasing signs of illness. His skin appeared to actually be taking on a greenish hue and at times he seemed to be speaking to no one. He removed his outer layers during the first night but less clothing didn’t alter the excessive perspiration he suffered and she felt a pang of sympathy as her own body temperature continued to increase. She had no idea what was typical for him, but his basic beta scent was rapidly turning into a rotten stench and the combination of her approaching heat and the small cell block amplified the unpleasantness. The man hadn’t interacted with her at all beyond the constant scathing glares he threw in her direction. 

When he started to spit up blood, Rey couldn’t keep silent any longer. 

“What’s Project Blackwing?” 

She glanced to where he was leaning against the far wall of his cell. He whipped around fast enough to startle her and she fought the gasp at his appearance in the dim lighting. His skin was waxy and mottled with deep red streaks fanning out from the injection site. No evidence of his crisp nature prior to it seemed to linger and his hair and remaining clothing were unkempt and stained with a mystery fluid. The expression on her face caused him to violently pitch forward and grasp the bars between them. 

“Of course a little dessert slave like you would have no idea. Shall I have the burden of educating you then? There is of course no official record in the Imperial archives, but chaos on that scale leaves too deep a scar to hide. Ignoring the initial Sith wizardry of its creation, let’s start with Lord Vader. He was at least intelligent enough to rely on actual science in his methods! The Imperial Biological Weapons Division turned the virus into just that - a biological weapon that could be used to bring rebellious forces to their knees. Unfortunately, the scientists failed in their abilities to contain it, wreaking havoc wherever it was released. The accident at the Dandoran facility caused losses the Stormtrooper program had to recover from for _years_!”

“I-I’ve heard rumors from traders but how… what does the virus _do_ exactly? I mean, you look…”

Hux scrutinized his appearance for a moment and attempted to make adjustments but his hands shook too much to comply. He plastered a cruel smirk on his corpse-like face. 

“Like the Supreme Leader? Yes, well, I suspect the Sickness is advanced enough now. It’s meant to prolong life but has the unfortunate side effect of necrotizing tissue, or colloquially for your simple understanding, turns the infected into _the undead._ The contamination is engineered to spread rapidly - injections, bites, airborne. Those unworthy sorcerers want to turn _my army_ into a chaotic free for all of disgusting undisciplined creatures. They cannot be commanded. They will infect and destroy every world and species they come into contact with. Order will be lost in the galaxy completely. At least I won’t live to see my life’s work dismantled so dishonorably.” 

He slumped down the wall he was leaning against and took several jagged breaths before he turned away from her appraising eyes. 

  
  


Rey fell into fitful nightmares for a few minutes or a few hours, but was awoken abruptly when she felt his presence near again. Hux swayed against the bars between them but acted like he couldn’t see her. His gaze was fixed behind her on the far wall. 

“Do you see him too?” She peered in the direction he nodded but saw nothing. “My father. Do you see him? Come to see me disappoint him one last time.”

She squinted again in the darkness but could only make out the plain durasteel walls. A loud thud signaled his drop into unconsciousness behind her before she could respond. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


When she awoke the next morning, she immediately noted the eerie silence in the air. The sight that met her in the next cell caused her to let loose a startled scream. 

Armitage Hux was no longer a man - he was a monster. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The tallest Knight activated his commlink to call on his four remaining brothers. 

“Tell me of your progress.”

Each ghoulish man responded with sinister delight. The immortal gift had been released on all four _star destroyers_ and the Stormtroopers were rapidly taken under its spell. Soon the command of each ship would be entirely in the hands of a Knight and they could begin preparations to unleash their immortal army on the galaxy. 

“Take care to implement the second stage now… eternal life is finally within our reach.”

After the call ended, five prepared their own vials of the precious liquid. Four were taken. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_**Somewhere Along the Hydian Way to the Mandalore Sector** _

  
  
  


The entire base was packed and ready to depart by the time the next day dawned. Not a single soldier wanted to be left behind and with the help of nearby allies there were enough transports and supplies to get them off the ground quickly. The entire fleet was carefully nondescript, allowing the Resistance to travel through trade routes without being immediately identified by any First Order sympathizers. 

Queen Valliana’s _Royal Starship_ departed from Naboo prior to sending out reinforcements to D’Qar, drawing away any lingering spies in Her Majesty’s palace. She had called on the matriarch of the Hapes Consortium - historically neutral (as were most of the Resistance allies, officially), imploring the Queen Mother to end this final battle. Their Royal Navy would be invaluable, having been successful against Imperial skirmishes in the past. The Queen Mother Ta’a Chume agreed to discuss the matter with the Hapan Royal Court but would give no further answer until it was decided. 

Lando Calrissian immediately pledged his vast resources and promised a citizen’s fleet of considerable size. He maintained a personal vendetta against the First Order for the kidnapping of his daughter years prior and still owed the Solo-Organas for his betrayal during the reign of the Emperor. Hearing that his wayward nephew had finally come around only cemented his desire to make amends. 

Maz Kanata, who was considered a neutral party to all, amassed her own abundant contacts from every corner of the galaxy. Species of all kinds, smugglers, royals, politicians, slaves, etc all hailed the call of the respected Pirate Queen. Since Han’s death, Chewbacca had kept close to the diminutive woman, not ready to return to Kashyyyk after so many years but not eager to jump back into another battle after so many losses. The _Falcon_ remained his home, even without his co-pilot. 

When he heard the call from Leia Organa over comms, he ripped the arms off the nearest droid unit. _Ben has returned?_ He would shoot the son with his bow caster again if he so much as smelled the darkside… and he would pass down the fastest ship in the galaxy, to the boy he knew so long ago - the boy who loved to fly just like his father. 

  
  


Uncle Chewie made good on his word, and arrived on D’Qar before the fleet took off for Mandalore. He barged down the ramp, yelled his complaints to _Ben Solo_ in Shriyook, and promptly knocked him out cold. He left the _Falcon_ there and departed to join the fray once again. When Ben awoke, his mother informed him that not only had he deserved it, but it also meant Uncle Chewie must have started to forgive.

“Ah, the _Falcon_?”

“No son, he left you with all your limbs firmly attached to your body.”

  
  
  
  
  


Now, approaching their destination in the Mandalore sector, Ben allowed himself to hope. The trip was fraught with constant pacing and tapping at the bond, spiraling between begging to feel his mate and assure her and swearing vengeance on Hux and his traitorous Knights.

The _Falcon_ held only a handful of soldiers, and only two from the base on D’Qar who wouldn’t have been completely terrified to be on a ship with the former _Kylo Ren_. Finn and Rose carefully avoided mentioning this fact to the other passengers and Ben’s consistently spiked Alpha scent was enough to persuade the others to keep their distance. He insisted on piloting the ship himself and tried desperately to keep his mind focused on attack plans instead of the man who should have been in the captain’s chair. 

At one point Finn had approached the cockpit and commanded that Ben make use of one of the bunks for the last part of the journey. He jumped out of the chair and looked over him incredulously. _Who_ _was **he** to command **me**?! _ The rage in his veins quieted at the look in the other man’s eye. He was concerned. For him. He was caught so off guard that he merely nodded and shuffled back to the crew quarters. His sleep was filled with unrelenting nightmares. _Snoke. The Knights. Rey in an interrogation room. Screaming for him. Wanting to know why her Alpha failed her. Why he couldn’t protect her._

He shot up at the frantic rapping on the door. 

“Are we there?”

“Yea but… you… uh, you need to look at this.” 

Finn was rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding his eyeline with furrowed brows. Ben pushed past him toward the cockpit and took in the scene before them. Over a dozen _Star Destroyers_ and what looked like many of their own alliance vessels. But nothing was happening. No _TIEs_ moved to protect their ships. Comm channels were full of confused chatter as pilots discovered that none of the crafts had shields up. Ben took over controls and maneuvered the light freighter closer to the _Steadfast._ Still no signs of a counterattack.

  
  


Then the comms went silent. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_“Brother.”_

  
  


The tractor beam latched onto the _Falcon_ then, dragging them effortlessly to toward their fate. As the hangar came into view more clearly, they saw exactly what awaited them. 

  
  
  
  


Which was nothing. 

  
  


No Knights of Ren.

No Supreme Leader Hux.

No Stormtroopers.   
  



	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Resistance and their allies have reached the First Order fleet over Mandalore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up - light non-con touching and related language, plus some graphic depictions of violence.

_Large hands skimmed the gauzy fabric covering her abdomen, leaving a trail of goosebumps on her overheated flesh._

**_Shuffling_** **_footsteps_**

**** _Fingertips stroke her swollen gland and she lets out a long low moan._

**_A ragged breath_ **

_She presses her thighs together and feels the slick seeping through her flimsy underwear._

**_Teeth clacking_ **

**** _Languid open mouth kisses cover the column of her throat and she bites her lip to keep from begging for more._

**_Metal clinking together_ **

**** _Ebony hair brushes against her cheek and she turns her face to look into the dark eyes of her beloved._

  
  
  
  
  


But it wasn’t her beloved that Rey found when she woke from her dream. It was the _thing_ that was left when Hux changed. The disgusting, rotten corpse that somehow managed to be more foul than the living man himself. The oily aroma of decay stuck to the walls of the cell block and she stifled a gag at not-Hux’s proximity to her. He pressed his body as closely as possible to the bars between them, reaching with bloody hands and snarling teeth. His transition into a Sickness riddled creature was complete. 

  
  


She was woken up that morning by the sound of the ventilation system shutting down. For a moment, Rey believed she was finally going to suffocate trapped in a metal box like she sometimes feared as a child when she got caught inside a wreck. When the system rebooted, it was different. The air felt stale and warm and the ozone that reminded her so much of Ben was absent. Rey guessed it was possible that the cells were on a different system, in case the Order wanted to torture prisoners with various gases - but why infect Hux directly and gas her after? Unless… it was everyone _else_ being exposed to the contaminant. The Knight had seemed to be much more interested in her alive than dead. She shuddered at the possible reasons why. 

Along with worrying about her rapidly progressing heat, something was clearly _very wrong_ with the inhabitants of the _Steadfast_. Not a single guard approached the prison block, including any of the Knights. The sounds around her were muffled, but over the last few hours she was certain she heard faint screams and blasters going off. At first the noises were constant… until they stopped altogether and an eerie silence filled the void instead. 

  
  


A trickle of sweat rolled down her neck and the instant desire for her mate to catch it with his tongue flashed through her head. _We need Alpha. Where is he? Does Alpha not want her?_ She pressed her face to the cold metal floor but failed to shake her obsessive Omega thoughts. 

**_NO! She was loved._** The Force and Ben were cut off from her still but her mate wouldn’t abandon her. The bond was murky and fragile but his affection and comfort came across clearly. She would not be weak. She would be strong. Ap’lek would be back when he didn’t expect her to fight anymore - but he had underestimated her, just like the rest of the Knights, Snoke, Unkar, Master Skywalker - even Ben - and it would be his downfall. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


After confirming that the rest of the First Order fleet was still showing no signs of movement or attempts to hail the Resistance, Ben made to exit the _Falcon_ but was abruptly stopped by Finn’s grip on his arm. He stared daggers at the man who would stop him from seeking his mate but the former trooper kept his hold steady. 

“Look, I know you want to go be all… well, go be all _you_ and raze the entire ship with the flick of your fingers, but you need to keep your head. If you storm into this like a crazy Alpha you’re going to get all of us _and_ Rey killed.” 

Ben eased the boiling rage out of his glare and nodded in understanding. He tried to take a few deep breaths but the air was sullied by the excited yet fearful scents from the rest of the crew. A dark haired man, another Alpha from Tatooine, approached the men with suspicion. 

“Who was on the comms?”

“Ap’lek Ren.”

“He called you brother.”

Ben sensed his mistrust and moved his hand to the hilt of his saber.

“And _that._ I’ve heard the rumors of a weapon just like that. Why would _Ben Solo_ have Kylo Ren’s lightsaber? Be called brother by a Knight of Ren?”

  
The man clutched his blaster so tightly his knuckles were nearly white. 

“You know the answer.”

“And which is asking us to fight alongside him now?”

“Kylo Ren died in the jungle on Yavin 4. I’m asking you, as Ben Solo, to help me stop the First Order. To save the galaxy and the people and places we love… to help me save the woman I love.”

The man looked back at the other passengers who had gathered around to watch the exchange in shocked silence. His eyes settled on a young Twi’lek woman with brilliant blue skin. Something passed between them, _his mate_ , Ben realized. The Twi’lek nodded warmly and the rest echoed the gesture. 

“I’m Asonna, and this is my husband Kirn Darklighter. The two over by the dejarik table are from Hays Minor, they both lost their families in the First Order’s mines. The Mon Calamari is Aftab Ackbar. We’ve all endured so much loss… we want to save what’s left.”

Rose beamed at the woman from her spot behind Finn. _That’s how we win. By saving what we love._ He released his grip on Ben and the crew prepared to depart the ship as a unified front. 

  
  
  


When the boarding ramp dropped, the stench hit them immediately. A miasma of metallic blood and decay permeated the air, clouding their senses. Ben surveyed the hangar for the source but saw nothing but clean durasteel. They moved cautiously through the wide open area, waiting for the shrill alarms and march of Stormtroopers. 

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” Finn whispered over his shoulder. He raised his hand to the access panel on the first door and pushed. 

  
  
  
  


**_Swish._ **Silence. 

  
  
  
  


And then the demonic screeching of undead lungs forcing air through decaying throats. 

  
  
  
  


“WHAT THE KRIFF IS THAT?!”

“GET BEHIND ME!”

“RUN BACK TO THE SHIP!”

“THEY’RE COMING FROM EVERYWHERE!”

  
  
  


The gruesome creatures sluggishly began descending on the startled group, clattering along the stairwells from the upper levels in unsettling jerky movements. 

The undead aberrations ranged from fully outfitted troopers who oozed a thick slimy substance from the breaks in their armor to half decayed corpses clad in medical gowns. The affliction spared none - the highest ranking officers to the lowest maintenance staff were similarly infected. Some had clearly been involved in violent attacks that left skin mangled or limbs missing entirely. Bloodshot eyes gazed through them, unfocused and empty yet seeking their prey. Thick globs of drool hung from snarling teeth and covered the faces that were visible. The rattling wails became more and more high pitched and frantic the closer the horde got to their targets, drowning out the desperate shouts from the living. 

  
  


Ben motioned for the allies to follow him into the lower levels of the ship toward the prison block. He took in the sight of his father’s ship - the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy - one last time before activating his commlink. 

“ ** _Black One!_ ** The crew of the _Steadfast_ are infected and the hangar is overrun!” He clutched the comm in one hand and held out the other to Force push the nearest combatants away from the group. 

“Infected?! Infected with what?”

When they passed the first door, Ben tossed the device to Finn and worked quickly to destroy the control panel with his saber. 

“Poe, the troopers- the troopers are **DEAD**! Everyone aboard is dead! Whatever’s wrong with them - they’re running around like they’re alive! They’re attacking us!” 

“D-dead? You’re saying these _Star Destroyers_ are full of… living dead?” 

Poe couldn’t possibly have heard his friend correctly and BB-8 confirmed his disbelief that deceased sentients could continue to perform tasks of any kind. 

  
  


“That’s what it kriffing looks like to me!” 

Finn clicked off the comm and narrowly tripped over a pile of discarded Stormtrooper armor covered in blood and a green slimy substance. 

They charged through the corridors, making their way deeper into the bowels of the ship, putting more distance between themselves and the possessed corpses - but also more distance between themselves and help. The lights flickered ominously over the scattered signs of previous struggles between the crew and they found themselves jumping at every shadow and slight sound. 

  
  
  
  


Reaching the prison level was a relief - and a new level of horror. The doors were already open, beckoning them inside. Whoever and _whatever_ dwelled within was waiting for them. 

  
  
  


Ben stepped forward with his hand hovering over his saber and called out. 

“Ap’lek! Hand over the _Jedi_!”

His eyes roamed over the dark room, searching for confirmation of the two presences he felt in the Force. The bond thrummed just slightly with relief, fear and hope. 

The cloaked figure of Ap’lek Ren moved into the light, exposing himself and the slim figure in his grasp. Rey was covered in sweat and grime, her wrists still bound in Force suppressing cuffs that had rubbed her skin raw. Old blood crusted around the old wound in her abdomen and she felt Ben’s fury as he took her in. 

“Ben! It’s ok, I’m ok.”

“Rey, I’m so sorry sweetheart.” 

  
  


“So greedy, Kylo. Haven’t we shared everything over these years? There’s barely enough to go around but we’ve made do with less. Really, denying your Omega the satisfaction of a knot is just cruel. I was waiting for the little bitch to beg me… but under the circumstances, I’m sure I can give her what she needs before she gives me what I need. Isn’t that right, _sweetheart?”_

Ap’lek gripped Rey’s chin in his leather clad hand, roughly tugging her face to turn toward him. He pulled a syringe from his pocket and slowly dragged the instrument across her collarbone and down her arm. The cool metal of the syringe pressed against her arm with the needle only millimeters away from grazing the skin there. His breathing was labored under his mask and her stomach turned at the sour desire rolling off him. She showed her teeth and stared coldly into his visor. 

“I’m not giving you _anything_. You want to kill me? Try it. You’ll die for what you’ve done either way.”

  
**“Don’t you touch her!”** Ben ignited his saber and moved closer to his former friend.

  
He chuckled through his vocoder and stepped behind her to press the length of his body against hers. She grimaced as he moved a gloved hand low on her abdomen to pull her further into him. 

“Oh pet, you’re so impatient to offer yourself. Such a shame we don’t have more time, but don’t worry, your heart will be mine soon.”

“My- my _heart_?! You’re doing this because you want _love_?!”

Rey was incredulous. This ghoulish man killed an entire ship full of soldiers, kidnapped her and betrayed his friends because he wanted to be _loved_?!

“That is awfully sweet, but no, _Jedi_. I actually want your heart. I want to plunge my ax into your chest, carve it out, and _consume_ it. That, darling child, is the key to eternal life.” 

Ap’lek abruptly pulled the needle away from her arm and depressed the plunger into his own. Shock fell across Rey’s face and the room filled with the stunned exclamations from the rebels. Understanding dawned on Ben.

“So the Jedi holocrons and Yavin 4 were all a ruse? We’ve all heard rumors of the lies of immortality. Eating a Jedi’s heart isn’t going to keep you from turning into one of those… things. Darth Drear _failed,_ Ap’lek. This is not how you achieve immortality! The First Order is **dead**! The Knights are **dead**! You lead only the dead now. Let go of Rey or you’ll join them too.”

Ben leveled his saber at the doomed man who still _dared_ to touch his _beloved, his Omega_.

  
  
  


“We’ll see, _Ben_.” 

  
  
  
  


No one moved to engage for several moments and the only sounds in the cell block were the crackle of the unstable blade and unnerving mechanical breathing. The Force screamed in warning and Ben whipped around to the other cell, where a concealed creature lunged from the shadows. 

  
  
  
  


“ **WATCH OUT!** ” 

Finn screamed but the warning came too late. Undead Hux gripped Rose’s wrist in his nearly fleshless fingers, tugging her closer and closer to gnashing teeth. She buried her electro-shock prod into his abdomen, but even the combination of being stunned and hit with blaster shots from her comrades couldn’t keep him from following his cannibalistic drive. His teeth sank deep into her palm, tearing the flesh there and ripping a bloodcurdling scream from the petite woman. Finn lunged to protect his mate and successfully pulled the creature to the ground before using his fists and feet to crush his skull into a heap of pulpy muck. The limbs twitched angrily but did not resume their attack. 

Rose wailed in agony and Finn clutched her tightly to his chest, pointing his blaster back toward the Knight. Rey took the opportunity to abruptly stomp her heel against his ankle, causing Ap’lek to pitch backward and her to fling herself toward her rescuers. She reached for Ben, their fingertips so close -

  
  
  
  


But a firm hand gripped her hair and tore her backwards as the room filled with smoke - and the sounds of the undead.   
  


  
  



	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben’s team is trapped on the Steadfast with the undead horde and Rey is out of reach again.

“WE NEED TO GET BACK TO THE FALCON!” Finn shouted over the roar of approaching reanimated soldiers while frantically trying to shield Rose from further injury. She was clutching her wounded hand to her chest, the skin already starting to turn a sickening shade of green on the edges of the bite. 

“We can’t! We can’t go back - there’s too many of them!” 

Ben was cutting them down as quickly as possible, but for every one that fell to his blade it seemed two more took their place. 

The other members of their team weren’t faring much better, and though Asonna struck with incredible accuracy, the traditional Lyaer'tsa she wielded wasn’t meant to inflict fatal injuries. The length of the staff allowed her to keep her distance from the creatures but the vibroblade at the end only served to maim. 

The undead seemed to be able to withstand much more damage than their living counterparts and it took several well placed hits from blaster and lightsaber alike to drop even one. Aftab, Kirn and Finn had all received formal training as soldiers, but Finn was too distracted with Rose to do anything but shoot indiscriminately into the crowd. The two individuals from Hays Minor tried to keep up but were slowly being separated from the meager safety of the group. 

The smoke Ap’lek had unleashed was still obscuring their senses and Ben knew that Rey was frustratingly just out of reach again. The darkside clawed at him, screaming for vengeance and payment in blood. He would follow, he would find her and he would **_kill that traitor, bathe in his blood and make him suffer unimaginable pain for hurting her._**

But first, they needed to get the kriff off this ship. He sliced through the nearest trooper and tried to catch Finn’s attention through the chaos. 

His shout was cut off by the sound of a frenzy - the undead had caught the scent of blood and were zoning in on the Haysians, who were rapidly weakening. They were clearly injured and no longer able to face the increase in attention. Both Kirn and Ben seemed to realize this at the same time and immediately tried to clear a path to their struggling allies, hacking and slashing through armor and limbs while dodging gnashing teeth and biological sludge. Ben could just make out the desperate mournful cries signaling time was rapidly running out -

_Five more steps!_

_Four!_ His blade spat viciously to match his own energy.

_Three!_ Beads of sweat matted his hair to his brow. 

_Two!_ Only a half dozen monsters to destroy -

  
  
  


By the time he got to one step left, the cries had stopped. He nearly took off Kirn’s head when he gripped his shoulder suddenly upon reaching the spot their teammates had stood just a moment before. The men regarded each other for a brief moment, panting heavily and steeling themselves against the visual evidence of their combined failure. Ben hadn’t even learned their names, but the prison block of the _Steadfast_ would be their resting place now. 

The sight reminded him of his failure to save his friends from Skywalker’s temple… when he ran off to Snoke… 

Of course, he knew _exactly_ how to get out of here. He turned back to Kirn. 

  
  


“There’s another hanger two levels down!”

“What? That’s not on any of the design plans our intelligence sent!”

“This is- _was_ my ship! I built a few extras into the design.”

Finn was close enough to them now to hear the conversation, himself and Asonna working together to deflect attacks and keep a wilting Rose on her feet. 

“What if there are even more down there? I mean the odds that the path is clear is - “

“Never tell me the odds.” 

He winked and gave a grin so much like his father’s that Finn swore he saw Solo standing before him in all his roguish self confident flesh once more. Ben must have heard the thought because the smirk dropped from his face and turned into a grimace. “You’re welcome to stay here and discuss it and die or follow me!”

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” 

Asonna grabbed her mate’s hand and the group moved as one toward the exit behind them, shooting and swinging and shoving with the Force until a solid wall of durasteel separated them from the horde. 

They crept down the next hallway that was illuminated only by wall panel lights randomly flickering in and out of existence. The silence was almost as unsettling as the cacophony of the undead and the echo of their footfalls felt unnatural in the space.

The next level down plunged them into complete darkness. Ben ignited his saber to guide them but the blood red glow only served to unnerve them further. At the end of the hall was the throne room of the _Steadfast_. The doors slid open at his touch. 

“Seriously?” Finn narrowed his eyes at Ben, who just shrugged. 

“Hux insisted. I’ve never even used it.” He motioned for them to continue behind the dais to a concealed turbo lift. “Good, the generator is still operating. This will take us down to the hangar.”

The six crammed into the space together and let out a collective sigh of relief when the lift opened to reveal a single spacecraft. They boarded quickly, eager to leave the fragmented ship and it’s grisly occupants behind. Aftab went to the cockpit and immediately engaged the startup sequence while Asonna and Finn assisted Rose to the small crew quarters. 

Ben pulled up the comms and punched in Poe’s code. 

“ _Black One_ \- who have I got here?”

“Dameron, this is the _Grimtaash,_ we’re getting out of here. Give us ten minutes and hit the _Steadfast_.”

“Solo! Glad to hear from you. Ten minutes, you got it. What about the rest of the fleet?”

“Consider the rest of the crews lost as well.”

“Maker. All?”

“Affirmative. The rest of the fleet is infected.”

“....understood. And Rey?”

“Working on it.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  


“I can try something. I read about it in the archives as a possible solution to stopping the spread of the Blackwing virus through the body.”

“But?” Rose was gritting her teeth and muttering expletives under her breath. 

“But, you’re not going to like it.”

“Will I like it more than turning into a kriffing zombie because literally any other option sounds better.”

“The method involves _removing_ the infected area.”

“Oh is that all? No problem! Hack away! Are you serious? I mean… will it work?”

“I’m not positive it will, but there’s nothing else we have access to, especially with the way your wound is looking. We just don’t have time to try anything else.”

“No, you’re right. I just need to prepare myself to lose a hand! Stars!”

Rose started pacing and gesticulating but every movement of her arm was excruciating and drew her attention back to her soon-to-be _removed_ hand. Ben quietly stepped away to explain the situation to Finn and Asonna. Finn rushed to his girlfriend’s side while Asonna stumbled off to scrounge up any medical supplies on board. 

  
  
  
  
  


With supplies and support in place, Rose practically fainted onto the nearest bunk. Her breaths came in shaky pants and the blood pounding in her ears seemed to sound out HAND HAND HAND HAND. Her teammates were staring down at her with solemn serious expressions as if waiting for her to change her mind. She couldn’t help it, the situation was so ridiculous...

  
  
  
  


“Are- are you _laughing_ ?!”   
  


Ben blinked at her, incredulous. The infection must be spreading to her brain already, sabotaging neural pathways and _oh stars I’m too late again -_

“It’s just that I never thought I’d be _asking_ Kylo Ren to stand over me with that terrifying thing!” 

  
She burst into a fit of giggles again while simultaneously wincing as her hand came into contact with the bunk.

“Ok, ok. This is serious. Please, make it quick and - I was going to say painless but that’s not really an option here I guess and I should have drank more but maybe there’s a stim shot or like you could rifle around in my brain and make me forget or -“

“Rose.”

She shut her mouth and carefully met his deceptively calm eyes. Her scent was lightly tinged with the sourness of the Sickness but her apprehension flooded the air. The silence stretched on while she grabbed hold of her courage and accepted that there was no time left to stall. Rose nodded and slid to lie down completely on the bunk. She firmly held out her hand and squeezed her eyes shut. Asonna stood at the ready beside them with the needed medical supplies. 

The red blade sprang to life and Rose tried to suppress her flinch. 

“I’ve got you, deep breath. Count down from three for me.” 

“Th-threee…”

“....two…”

The motion was so swift and precise that she wasn’t even sure anything happened at first. Then the pain hit. White, blinding, burning pain. A strangled sob erupted from her throat as Finn rushed to calm her while Asonna took care of the bacta and bandaging. 

Ben swallowed thickly, surveying the damage and hoping it would be enough. He extinguished his blade and turned back to the cockpit where Aftab and Kirn were waiting for coordinates. 

  
  
  
  
  


A familiar prickling sensation crawled up the back of his neck and he stopped dead in his tracks. _Rey._ Her signature was still dim in the Force but seemed to be steadily brightening now. He whirled around, seeking her presence… a niggling sensation telling him to head back toward Rose. 

Ben entered the room frantically, seeing but not seeing, making the other occupants jump. Then he heard it. Quiet, whimpering cries from behind a dusty old supply crate. Rey was huddled in the fetal position, sobbing softly into her filthy arm wraps. Strangely, her cuffs were still on and appeared intact. He crouched down and slowly approached her tiny form. 

She startled at the sound and jumped up to scoot away before realizing the bond had connected and flung herself into Ben’s lap. 

“BEN! Ben Ben Ben! I was so worried, I thought those things might… I thought you might…” Rey started sobbing harder and he clutched her more tightly to him, rocking her gently and placing reassuring kisses to the crown of her head. _Alpha is here._

“Shhh, don’t cry. I’m ok, we’re ok. Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?”

He tried to tamper down his rage at the memory of Ap’lek’s threats… his disgusting unworthy hands touching what’s _his_. He forced himself to relax his grip and turned his attention back to his mate. 

“I… I’m not sure, the smoke, I was so confused… I couldn’t get to you. He only touched me to drag me back onto that awful ship. Back in the same cell as when I came here the first time. I should probably start moving my stuff in with how much time I’ve spent in this stupid place!” 

She threw out her arms and scowled. Ben couldn’t help chuckling at the thought of Rey giving a prison cell homey touches, spreading out her nest and scattered scavenged knick knacks everywhere. She’d basically done it already on Jakku. 

“Do you know where he’s taking you?” 

She shook her head dejectedly. 

“No, but I don’t think we went into hyperspace and I can feel the change in pressure, like we’re entering atmosphere. Ben, I can feel something _wrong_ out there even with these on. Like when I felt the Knights before. Whatever planet we’re near… the Force feels darker and twisted the closer we get.” 

Something clicked in place. 

“I know where you’re going, Rey. I’m coming for you. Just hold on for me - hold on to your beautiful brilliant light and I’ll be there soon.” 

Rey nodded sharply, her forehead brushing against his chin. They both felt the sweat beaded there and silently prayed that her biological clock would keep her heat at bay just a little longer. The connection began to fade out and his next kiss met cold recycled air. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Ok… this might be the pain meds talking buuuuuut did anyone else just see Ben smooooching the air cus yeaaaaa….” 

Ben glanced up to see all three staring at him - Rose with clear amusement and Asonna with pure bewilderment. Finn was somewhere between the two emotions but let out a snort at the look on the Twi’lek’s face. 

“Oh right, probably should have uh... explained that whole Force bond thing. So Ben and Rey have this uh… like holovid connection through the Force where they appear to eachother but we can’t see the other person? I’ve never seen it happen before though and actually, that’s kind of unsettling.” Finn scratched his chin and pursed his lips in thought. 

“Thanks for explaining that so well, Finn.”

Ben got up from his crouched position and started back toward the cockpit where Aftab was handling the controls. He punched in the coordinates and dropped himself into the other unoccupied chair. 

  
  


“Where are we headed?”

  
  
  
  
  


“Moraband.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leia considers her next steps.

Leia had always been careful to hold her emotions close to her chest - a trait she’d been told she had inherited from her biological mother. Her stoicism helped gain respect when she was still a young General and ensured she left the sabacc table ahead every time.

Now, her impassive mask in the face of so much death just made her wonder how often she wore it in front of a little boy with her same eyes so many years ago. How shielding herself ultimately pushed him away too… and yet, learning from her to conceal his emotions behind a (more tangible) mask and hide his true self away might be the reason _Ben Solo_ survived living with so much darkness. 

And then that unbelievable little spit fire barreled through his defenses and outright threatened the hold that darkness had on his heart. Her husband’s death certainly cracked it - even Snoke saw that - but Rey quite literally sliced through the constructed facade of the fearsome Kylo Ren, exposing Ben Solo underneath. 

  
  


So of course when the dark came for revenge in the form of a slimy General and the Knights of Ren, Ben’s first instinct was to rush into the fray to protect his beacon of light. Leia could picture the _Grimtaash_ in her mind. The ship named after an Alderaanian myth. The ship that Ben Solo piloted away from a burning temple to become Kylo Ren. It seemed fitting that it would be the craft to bring him back toward his light now, finally living up to its namesake and protecting the royal line of Alderaan after all these years. 

She wasn’t sure what exactly transpired on the _Star Destroyers_ in her view screen, but it somehow managed to tear Rey away from them once again. Based on the information passed to Poe from Ben’s team, Leia had given the order to fire on the remaining fleet. She’d heard rumors years ago of her father’s involvement with developing a bioweapon that not only spread rampantly but seemed to almost _strategize_ like a sentient menace. How it cruelly deconstructed any remaining humanity and manipulated its hosts into becoming empty ravenous creatures. Knowing that each of the ships they were firing on held a crew of almost 100,000… and that every ship was infected… the loss of lives in the quest for power never failed to shock her. 

But why was she _here,_ continuing to stand back and watch it all unfold, wrapped up in more death and destruction instead of _there,_ helping her son as he chased after life and the person he wanted to build his with?

She considered this and returned her gaze to the viewport. Her hands flew to her mouth, attempting to stifle a gasp as her vision blurred with bittersweet tears. 

  
  
  


It wasn’t her reflection staring back. 

  
  
  
  
  


“ _Leia.”_

  
  


The princess took only a brief moment to compose herself before addressing her brother. 

“I would slap you if I knew you could feel it.”

The shock on the legendary Jedi Master’s face was clear. That’s definitely _not_ how he expected their first interaction after Crait to go. 

“Wha-what?! Slap me?” His words sputtered out at the absolute wrath rolling off his twin. 

“ _How could you?!_ My son! You tried to kill MY SON in his sleep! We trusted you, Luke! Han and I sent him to you to help and you - and you never told me what happened!”

Silence fell between them then. Not even the intermittent muffled sounds of a one-sided battle outside was enough to break Leia’s icy gaze. Luke may no longer have been subject to the reactions of his former physical self, but he swore he felt an actual bead of cool sweat roll down his neck after her unexpected outburst. He wanted so badly to avoid her accusation but he needed her to trust him now - and time was running out. 

“You’re right. I failed you, I failed Han. I did so much more than fail Ben - I was so consumed by the darkness seeping through… that it blinded me to _him._ I stood over him that night and all I could see was _death_ and _destruction_ and I wanted to end it. I’m as much to blame for the creation of Kylo Ren as Snoke.”

Leia let out a guttural sob and shook her head. 

“We’re all responsible for Kylo Ren. Is this why you’re here now? To apologize now that you’re safely out of slapping range?” 

He smirked at that and she huffed a small chuckle.

  
  


“A good plan on my part since you’ve been wearing more rings than usual lately, but no. It’s time for you to complete your training.”

“What? No. **No**. I told you all those years ago that I wouldn’t do it. I told you what I saw. If I complete my training then it means Ben…”

She can’t get out the last word. She wouldn’t give her child’s life in exchange for being a Jedi then and she wouldn’t change her choice now. 

“This is your trial, _Padawan._ Even I can’t see the future here… but if you don’t go to them now… I sense _both_ of them will be joining me soon.” 

His words send a stab of agony through her. What kind of choice was this? How could she accept?

  
  


But how could she refuse if it means she still had the chance to save even one of them? 

Hope. She needed to have hope that she had the power to help save Rey _and_ Ben. 

Luke felt her resolve. The twins shared a loaded look, knowing that once again the Skywalkers were unfairly being called on to sacrifice. 

  
  
  


“May the Force be with you.” And Luke faded back into the waves of the Force. 

  
  
  
  
  


  
  


R2D2 whirred into the room, no doubt feeling the brief presence of his former master. The droid trilled lowly in question. 

“It seems I’ll need it after all. Thank you for carrying it all this time.”

He beeped in recognition, happy to serve the remaining members of his family. With a click, a tiny compartment on his front popped open, revealing an unassuming brass key. Leia hesitated a moment before clutching it tightly and departing for her quarters. 

  
  


The Princess turned General allowed herself one chest of personal effects. Items too precious to leave behind after a lifetime of losing so much. 

She carefully opened it, exposing the treasures within. Her grandmother Padme’s wedding dress. Priceless jewels from the Naberrie and Organa lines. A scribbled child’s drawing of a Wookie. A well loved Tooka doll. 

And at the bottom, an ornately carved wooden box. With trembling hands she pulled the box into her lap and turned the key in the lock. The lid cautiously cracked open and inside lay Leia’s saber.

The design was elegant and smooth, the weight light but reassuring. When her fingers grazed over the hilt she immediately recognized that old familiar song. Her kyber crystal rejoiced in her presence and the connection was alive and electric once more. _Trust me_ it seemed to say.

Together they could do this. 

  
  
  
  


“I’m coming for you, Ben. For you and Rey.”

  
  
  
  
  
  



	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ap’lek and Rey arrive on Moraband with Ben and the gang close behind.

Rey never thought she’d yearn for the sands of Jakku again until she met the harsh blood red sand of Moraband. The air was breathable but thick with the same feel of the _Starship_ graveyards she’d come to know so well - a sort of echo clung to the very soil, like the planet itself was haunted. As she peered across the desolate hellscape, she couldn’t make out any outward signs of life. 

Even if there didn’t appear to be anything _living_ on the planet, the Force told her it wasn’t utterly unoccupied. 

Her legs were still shaky from whatever the Knight beside her had deployed to escape the _Steadfast_ and she knew she was failing to hide the more obvious signs of her heat now. Sweat covered her already filthy clothes and any moment slick was sure to trickle down her leggings. She prayed to R’iia that this planet would have winds to carry her scent further from Ap’lek’s notice but one look at the stagnant atmosphere told her she wouldn’t be so lucky. He hadn’t attempted to touch her again beyond duitifully keeping a tight hold on his prisoner, but Rey didn’t want to draw any more attention to her _needy_ situation when she still couldn’t rely on the Force to aid her.

The beginning effects of the Sickness were clearly taking hold of the masked man and she could feel his urgency in every movement. She was too weak and clouded to fight against him, but once the infection spread further and incompacitated him more and more… she would have a chance, with or without Ben’s help. Rey shook her head. He would make it on time. He was coming for her. _Alpha will always come back for you._

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a rough tug of her cuffs and she reluctantly stumbled after the Knight toward a deep valley. The further they walked the more she could discern that there were actual structures jutting out from the cliff sides. Statues? Not of anyone she recognized. Tombs? Great, more dead guys. And at the very end… _A Sith Temple?_

Rey tried to concentrate on her surroundings but a debilitating cramp struck her and she nearly tumbled headfirst down the ridge they were descending. Her ‘companion’ didn’t seem to notice her struggling and continued tugging her along, half dragging her exhausted body and she attempted to right herself once more. She was on _fire,_ the cramping and need blocking out her ability to feel the pain of her many scrapes and bruises. He didn’t react to any of her whines or soft sobs and she wondered if he was too far gone now to even feel that _Alpha_ response. 

Every step was worse than the last and eventually all she could do was give in to the demand to rest. Her mind and body were pushed too far and the biological drive to sleep in preparation of heat _activities_ was too strong to resist. She crumpled at the entrance of the temple, barely registering the Knight’s hasty grab to carry her the rest of the way. 

The next chunk of time was like some kind of nightmare hallucination that she felt only partially present for. Her eyes and limbs wouldn’t respond to her calls and her thoughts were unfocused. The darkness was everywhere, wrapping around her seeking entrance to her thankfully still guarded mind. Voices vibrated along the walls but not in a language she could grasp - just one word stood out, repeated in harsher and harsher tongues - _Jidai._

A jagged slice against her skin momentarily broke the spell and she hissed out a sharp breath when her hand met broken flesh, trying to staunch the flow of blood before her eyes shut again. She raised her head just enough to peer at the Knight and was met with bright red eyes staring back. At some point he must have removed his mask, revealing the startling Chiss man underneath. She knew the Knights were at least humanoid, but the sight of such a _normal_ face threw her. 

  
The corridor eventually opened up to a giant cavern where Rey was unceremoniously dumped onto the cold, _so so cold_ , stone and surrendered to sleep once more. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


When the _Grimtaash_ broke atmosphere, all but Rose were in the cockpit to get a glimpse of the Sith homeworld. Ben had been on Moraband once before but the sight still caused a chill to run up his spine. He tampered the feeling down, preparing himself for the onslaught of negative energy from the dark side’s corruption of the planet. The tendrils were already reaching out to him, beckoning him to embrace the anger boiling within and give himself over to bloodlust. He held his small but steady flicker of light closer, knowing that Rey would be lost if he allowed himself to be seduced. 

“Asonna and Aftab have volunteered to watch over Rose and the ship until we get back. Anything else we should know before we get out there?”

Kirn directed the question to Ben but his eyes never left the view of the forbidding landscape. He felt his anxiety but also his determination. Both he and Finn had their mates safe on the ship and a pang of guilt shot through him.

They didn’t need to follow him, to chase after Rey and Ap’lek, putting themselves in mortal danger that possibly none of them would walk away from. After all he had done and everything he had destroyed he was completely awestruck that these men would stand beside him still. He swallowed hard before responding. 

“If you could try really hard not to die, that’d be a huge help.” 

He flashed a grin, which Kirn returned with genuine laughter. 

“I think I can manage.”

Finn joined them in front of the ramp soon after, shooting the two men quizzical glances at their matching smirks. Ben shook his head. 

“Ready, traitor?” 

Finn placed his hand over the ramp release and pushed. 

“Ready, traitor.”

  
  
  


The three men descended the ramp cautiously, scanning the immediate area for any sign of Rey or the Knight. The _Night Buzzard_ was perched on a nearby cliffside with no apparent attempt to conceal it. The dust was already kicked up from their own landing so there was no telling how close behind they were on foot, although both were clearly not in prime condition and probably dragging…

The sound of the ramp being closed was too loud in the bleak emptiness of the terrain, leaving the trio feeling exposed. 

Finn thought he caught a snippet of movement behind one of the rocky outcrops and started to move toward it. Ben and Kirn followed closely, wordlessly attuned to each other’s movements in the space. He gripped his blaster tightly on approach, quieting his steps and held his breath. He braced himself against the rock, then drew his weapon and jumped out to confront whoever was hiding. No one. He let out the breath he was holding and turned back to the group. 

They were standing completely still, eyes wide and gazes trained just above him. His body went rigid. Small rocks fell to the ground a few feet behind him. 

  
  
  
  
  


Then a low, threatening growl filled the void. 

_“Tuk’ata…”_ Ben whispered, then yelled “ **SITH HOUNDS! DUCK!** ”

Finn acted on instinct, following his superior’s command once again. He felt the heat of the blaster bolts above him and the energy of the Force shoving the creature back. When he heard flesh smack against the rock, he jumped up and ran back to his comrades. He whipped around to face the animal with them. 

_Hound_ was not the word he would use to describe it. It had the basic structure and features of a dog, but that was where the similarities ended. It’s eyes were bright crimson and it’s back and tail were covered in razor sharp spines. It furiously gnashed impossibly large teeth, splattering saliva on the red earth. A whip-like tail smashed against the rock repeatedly like a call to arms. The wounds it sustained seemed to only make the thing more aggressive, reminding Finn of the way Ben had aggravated his own on _Starkiller._

Ben ignited his crackling red blade to his left, sharply drawing the Hound’s attention. With one last flick of its tail, it pounced. 

Kirn’s first shot missed but he responded with a clear blast to the beast’s shoulder. Finn fired his blaster automatically and successfully managed to hit the animal several times in the side before it landed almost on top of Ben. He rushed toward him to help physically restrain it but was stopped when an otherworldly shriek rang out as the deadly blade pierced straight through its chest. The limp body tumbled to the ground and Ben disengaged his saber. 

“Come on, we have to move. Tuk’ata supposedly travel in packs and we don’t need any more distractions to delay us.” 

Kirn nodded and strode with Ben toward the valley ahead but Finn followed more slowly, eyes scanning every surface for more monster dogs or monster porgs or whatever else the demon planet had in store. Satisfied when no ghouls immediately made themselves known, he scrambled down the ridge after them. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“What is this place?”

Finn vigilantly surveyed the ominous structures surrounding them. The walls of the valley were carved into immense shrouded figures overlooking their path, but his attention was drawn to the massive pyramidal structure at one end. 

“Valley of the Dark Lords. Monuments honoring the Dark Lords of the Sith… and eventually their burial grounds.”

Ben was barely listening, responding automatically while he sought any sign of Rey. The Force was too convoluted to trace her signature and she was likely still wearing the cuffs anyway. 

  
  
  


“Ooook... well, it’s spooky as shit here. You think Rey is in one of these… tombs?” 

“He’ll take her to that temple to _perform the ritual_.” The last part he spat through gritted teeth. 

They hastily made it the rest of the way in silence, eyes open for any possible threats. When they reached the imposing entrance to the temple, Finn narrowed his eyes at the intricate inscription carved into the stone on one side. 

  
  
  


“It’s the _Qotsisajak_. The Way of the Sith:

_Nwûl tash._

_Dzwol shâsotkun._

_Shâsotjontû châtsatul nu tyûk._

_Tyûkjontû châtsatul nu midwan._

_Midwanjontû châtsatul nu asha._

_Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak._

_Wonoksh Qyâsik nun.”_

  
  
  


“Ok, before you conjure up some old dead Sith Lord with that, can you run it by me again in Basic?”

Finn’s comment almost made Ben chuckle despite the situation at hand. He repeated the Sith Code in its more recognizable form:

“Peace is a lie, there is only passion.

Through passion, I gain strength.

Through strength, I gain power.

Through power, I gain victory.

Through victory, my chains are broken.

The Force shall free me.”

  
  


“Sort of better… Hey, wait, didn’t you say Sith stuff is like, booby trapped?”

Ben turned away from the inscription, unsure how much to reveal to the former trooper. Finn’s face sported a deeply furrowed brow and tightly clenched jaw. He sighed. Better to just rip off the bacta patch instead of pretending pretty much everything in the temple walls wouldn’t work to actively maim or kill. 

  
  


“Honestly, traps are the least of our concerns, but watch where you step and what you touch anyway. Sith temples are repeatedly steeped in the darkside and almost always through sacrifice. Even devoted followers are meant to suffer before reaching the heart.”

“This thing has a _heart_?!” Kirn eyed the massive structure before them even more uneasily. 

“Not a true heart, no. The main source of power - of absolute darkness. The execution chamber. That’s… that’s where Rey will be.”

  
  


Ben quickly pinched his eyes shut to stave off the tears he knew were building. The other Alpha sensed his emotional change in his scent and didn’t let him wallow for more than an instant. Kirn gripped his shoulder firmly. 

  
  
  
  


“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go get your girl.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben, Kirn and Finn enter the temple

As soon as they entered the first chamber, Finn knew he had made a mistake.

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees rapidly, but it wasn’t just the physical chill of the air that caused him to shiver. 

He felt eyes everywhere, as if whatever horror resided within had been alerted to the presence of those who _did not belong._ A few times he thought he caught the ghost of a whisper but it was gone before he could hone in on it. More of the same type of hieroglyphs as outside covered the stone walls along the chamber and each one appeared to give off a crimson glow, bathing the intruders in the unsettling hue. As his eyes adjusted, he noted the room only had one visible exit. Ben noticed this as well and cautiously moved toward it with his hand perched just over his saber. 

The door led to a corridor where the men could only squeeze through single file. Finn reluctantly held up the rear, his eyes darting back over his shoulder every few seconds, half expecting another demon dog to burst down the pathway after them. He was so focused on dangers from behind that he failed to notice when the sounds of his comrades’ boots silenced. 

The next time he turned forward he was met with only stone. No pathway. No door. No Kirn. No Ben. Panic lanced through him. Had he missed a turn? Was there a door he overlooked? He whipped around and around seeking something familiar until he was covered in sweat and nauseous. A strange sensation overcame him and he dropped to his knees, unable to keep hold of his consciousness. 

  
  
  
  


_Where am I?_

Finn glanced at his surroundings. A transport ship? There were stormtroopers all around him but it was difficult to make out their details through his visor. His visor? He looked down. White plastoid armor. _No! He wasn’t a stormtrooper anymore! He defected!_ None of the other troopers seemed phased by the situation and before he could grasp what was happening the ship lurched, signaling their landing. 

As the ramp lowered and the squad started to descend, Finn got an immediate sense of deja vu. _Tuanul._

It was happening exactly the same. Wait. Not exactly. The villagers weren’t villagers anymore… they were… _his friends._ Poe, Rose, even Rey were standing with other Resistance members with hands raised in submission. _No! No, he wouldn’t hurt them!_

  
  
  


A looming presence behind him. Familiar but _wrong_. 

“ **FN-2187. Kill them. Kill them all.”**

  
  
  


He was a soldier. He would do his duty. He lifted his blaster and aimed true…

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“FINN! What the kriff happened? I looked back and saw you passed out flat on your back!”

He turned to see Kirn’s concerned face and felt his arm tugging him to stand back up. 

“I… what? I was - I thought I was lost? And then the next second I was on Jakku… oh Maker! I killed them! I killed them!” He dropped his head into his hands and started to sob, his friends’ horrified expressions when he raised his blaster to one after the other flashing repeatedly in his mind’s eye. 

Ben stood to his other side, forcing Finn to meet his eyes and feel the truth in his words. 

“Hey, that’s not true. You know it’s not. I know it’s not. You remember I saw you, when you disobeyed the order. You didn’t kill anyone.”

“But, but it was _so real_!”

“I know. It’s the temple. Traps. Trying to play on your fear - showing you your worst ones coming true. I’m sorry I didn’t realize it was happening in time to help. Unfortunately, we’ll run into more the longer we’re in here. We need to keep moving and stay alert.”

  
  


They continued walking, mindful of every step and checking each other for any signs of further disturbances. After a few careful minutes, the path split in two around an obelisk with two sets of hieroglyphs. 

“These are different right? What do they say?” Kirn studied the characters thoughtfully. 

“The one on the left is ‘Alone’ and the one on the right is ‘Together’. I think it wants us to choose which path to take.”

Kirn nodded slightly at Ben before his face lit up. 

“Obviously the choice is ‘Together’ - teamwork and all that.” 

He started rushing around Ben before he could stop him and stumbled when his boot depressed one of the stones decorating the floor. His eyes widened as Ben tried to grab him and pull him back, but not before a dozen darts shot out from the obelisk toward him. He felt the sting of the needles breaking flesh and prepared himself for whatever ghastly poison to take hold. 

“Fuck. Of course! Ysalamir darts!” 

Kirn watched as Ben ripped three, four darts from his arm and shoulder. He seemed to feel an obvious immediate effect that he didn’t share. 

“The Ysalamir are lizards that developed a natural Force shield against predators. They’ve been used for years to confine Force users. I didn’t realize someone was able to synthesize their natural ability to remove someone’s access to it. That’s why you don’t feel anything… the darts just effect Force users.”

Kirn considered his own wounds, grimacing as he removed his own darts. 

“Wait, the riddle… the right answer?”

“It seems like ‘Together’ is the obvious answer, but, the Sith revel in the strength of individuality. Rely on no one. Power is the ultimate goal and for followers of the darkside, that doesn’t come from holding hands and thinking of the common good.”

“I’m so so sorry, I didn’t realize - It seemed so obvious and... And now you can’t use the Force? Stars, I’ve doomed us!”

“Hey now, I’m still pretty handy with a lightsaber without the Force…”

_Haa, neyo la yud masur kee, tah uhnah kahru lur shu…_

“Did… did you guys hear that?” 

Finn stared down the corridor they’d arrived from with terror clouding his eyes. He gulped and moved to the side declaring “Alone”, beckoning the other two men to join him. Just a few steps led them into the next chamber, and as soon as they were all fully inside the door shut behind them. 

“Kriffing _amazing._ Now what? More nightmares come true? Chopping off limbs? Sacrificing first born children?” Finn groaned at the new challenge. 

Ben was silent, considering all aspects of the chamber before coming to his conclusion. 

“This one is for sacrifice. See the cut out there? There’s likely a blade in it. We need to give blood to move through.”

Finn spoke first. 

“We can all give some? It shouldn’t weaken us too much…”

He was interrupted by Kirn’s firm voice. 

“No. Let me do it. Before you protest, I’m the one who weakened you. I was foolish. I took away your greatest advantage. Please, let me help make up for it. You need your strength for that terrifying woman you’ve claimed.” He let out a chuckle and Finn and Ben agreed with scandalous amusement. 

“Alright Kirn. Just step up to the alcove there and press your arm against the blade. Careful to do it slowly - we need you after we get out of here.” 

Ben gifted his new friend with as much of a genuine smile as he could muster at the moment. 

Kirn approached the space with some apprehension, but he wrapped his determination around him, took a deep breath, and pressed his arm against the sharp blade. He hissed at the contact but felt almost relieved as the blood trickled into the tray. 

After a few moments he felt himself get lightheaded and a panel to his right slid open. He grinned at the blurry figures who moved to wrap up his arm before succumbing to blissful sleep. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Ben and Finn moved through the door dripping with apprehension. Even muted and cut off, Ben felt the beat of Rey’s heart tucked against his own. She was so, _so_ close. 

The chamber they stepped into was massive. Massive and impossibly cold and soaked with death. 

And there before them was Rey, crumbled into a tight ball in the middle of the cavern. Behind her, a now maskless spectre. He eyed the two rescuers easily, a smirk forming on his brilliant blue face. 

As if sensing him even in her dreams, Rey jolted awake and immediately lunged for her mate. Ap’lek easily tugged her back, and Ben bit his tongue hard enough to draw blood at the sight of her in his clutches still. _How she has suffered for me. My Angel. My Omega._

He tried in vain to smother his emotions, but he was never very successful at it and seeing the one person he loved most in the world like this crushed his ability to mask his feelings. He didn’t need the Force to feel her - he saw her exhaustion, her relief, her desperation. He saw the blush of her cheeks and the soft press of her thighs. His beautiful, powerful, brave, compassionate Omega was in full blown heat. Time had run out. 

_KILL ALL WHO WOULD DARE TOUCH YOUR OMEGA. SPREAD THEIR BLOOD AND TAKE WHAT IS YOURS._

Oh, how he longed to give in. His Alpha was a ravenous beast slamming against the walls he so carefully constructed. He wanted to gut this traitor. He wanted to slice him open and fuck his bewitching mate on top of the entrails, presenting her with the lesser Alpha’s head for her nest...

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Once, when Rey was around 11, a traveling storyteller had set up a small tent on the outskirts of Niima outpost one evening and encouraged the skinny desert children to gather around for a few hours lost in fantasy. She enchanted them with tales of gallant white knights rushing in to save their beloved princesses from mortal peril. The knights were always beloved, heroes with perfect faces and clean souls. Sometimes she would curl up in her little hammock and scratchy blanket and imagine a handsome stranger storming up to her AT-AT and revealing that it was all a mistake - that she was never meant to be left and was a loved, cherished princess finally found. 

Now though, Rey had never been more relieved to see that her rescuer (not that she was a damsel in distress!) was no white knight. No, a white knight didn't belong in her story. The Black Knight was her champion - her protector, her lover. _Her Alpha._ He wielded darkness and light but it was darkness he mastered now, appearing before her as Death come to collect his debt. 

Ap’lek believed he could control the dead. Rey couldn’t contain her crazed laughter at the thought. Oh no, no one controlled death more than her beloved. His wrath was beautiful. Terrifying and all consuming yes, but seeing him unhinged like this stirred something deep within. She wanted to mount him on his kills in her honor, bathed in their blood, succumbing to their darkest desires. 

  
  


_Kill for me, beloved. Kill for me, my mate, my Alpha._

  
  


“Brother. You’re weak. You’re sick. You can’t defeat me. You and I know it. You don’t even have the Sword for the ritual. It’s lost. Let her go. Leave her to me and I’ll offer you a merciful death after all these years together.”

Ben held his saber to his Knight, exuding confidence and a promise of utter pain for whoever did not cede his warning. 

  
  


Ap’lek glanced casually at Rey on the floor, seemingly unphased by his Master’s request. 

  
  
  


“How convenient that the Sword of Khashyun was already retrieved by our dearly departed brothers then...”

Ben managed to hide his shock, discretely surveying the man’s robes for the weapon. A question still lingered in his mind.

“What happened to the rest of the Knights on the _Star Destroyers?_ ”

“Unfortunately, their timeline was pushed up. Promise a little power, say, command of one measley vessel each, and just like those pathetic troopers, they follow whatever order you give. I gave what was promised, but alas, with only one _Jedi_ left you can understand why I kept this part to myself.”

“You’re wrong. Rey isn’t the only _Jedi_ left.”

“Oh? Skywalker find some way to bring himself back? We both know the lightside isn’t the pathway to eternal life. They’re too busy pretending to enjoy eternal _consciousness.”_ Ap’lek cackled at the suggestion. 

“Luke Skywalker was my Master. Anakin Skywalker had the highest known midichlorian count known. Is my heart not more _Jedi_ than hers? Let her go and use _me_ instead.”

Protests broke out from Finn behind him. Rey jerked her wide hazel eyes toward him, a sobbing plea choked out as she reached for him, begging him not to do this. 

Yet Ap’lek remained eerily still. Impassive. 

For a moment Ben didn’t think the Knight would accept his offer. Then a cruel, twisted grin split across Ap’lek’s sallow face. 

“Oh Kylo, you have no idea how long I’ve waited for this…”


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know what would make a situation more complicated? An unexpected guest.

_“Long have I waited…”_

  
  
  


Rey turned back to Ap’lek in confusion. _Didn’t he just say that?_ The grin he was sporting so eagerly moments before slipped from his face. His eyes flitted between her and Ben, puzzled. _Did the temperature drop again or am I just burning hotter this time?_

  
  


The stomp of Ben’s foot in time with his saber igniting snapped her to attention. She searched his features for the reason for the sudden change of heart, but his gaze was decidedly directed just past her and the other Knight. 

  
  


She saw the startled Chiss turn to address the disturbance with wide startled eyes. His reactions were increasingly sluggish with the rapidly multiplying quantities of the Sickness overwhelming not only the body - but his control of his own mind. 

  
  


An icy breath crawled up her spine, prickling her skin and raising the hairs on the back of her neck. Rey held her breath and prepared to meet whatever abomination the temple had conjured to greet them. She willed her body to stay upright and began to turn. 

  
  


Then her cuffs dropped away. 

  
  


The Force slammed through her, as if it had been pressed up against a locked door begging entrance. She clutched her chest and willed deep gasping breaths of the stagnant air into her lungs. Trembling sparks of electricity shot through her limbs, embracing and offering strength. And Ben! _Finally!_ His signature wrapped so tightly around her as the bond blazed and she felt -

  
  


**_Fear._ **

  
  


**** All three men were projecting the emotion _loudly_ , even Ben. His fiery eyes snapped to hers as he too felt the return of her presence in the Force and their bond snap back. He focused only on her for just a few loaded moments, showering her with relief and reassurances of love before his dark stare returned to the intruder and his emotions became clouded with protective rage once more. 

  
  
  
  


Finally, finally she turned. 

  
  
  
  


The first thing she saw were the eyes. 

Bright burning gold orbs cut into her, steady and searching. The rest of the specter’s face and body were covered entirely in some kind of armor with etching that matched the tone of his unsettling gaze. The figure appeared not entirely solid, as if having one foot in this world and the other in the next. The coldness emanating from him chilled her down to her bones and Rey had to clench her teeth to keep them from chattering. The Force swirled threateningly and volatile around him and she momentarily lamented the loss of the cuffs that would have shielded her from the overwhelming sensation. _Right, cuffs. Had this Sith… ghost removed them? Why?_

Speech eluded her as she tried to grasp the intention of the apparition. Ap’lek seemed to have no such trouble and dropped hard to his knees on the stone floor in utter reverence. 

  
  


_“Lord Bane.”_

The name meant absolutely nothing to Rey but she felt the tug of recognition from Ben’s side of the bond and a brief memory of him studying ancient Sith Lords flashed before her eyes. 

  
  
  
  


An acidic voice abruptly disturbed the uneasy silence, echoing across the expanse of the chamber. 

  
  


_“A Master and two apprentices stand before me. This there can not be. Dzworokka yun; nyâshqûwai, nwiqûwai. Wotok tsawakmidwanottoi, yuntok hyarutmidwanottoi. Two there should be; no more, no less. One to embody power, the other to crave it."_

  
  


Rey shuddered. The speech was guttural with an underlying hissing quality, like several dark voices whispering in tandem to produce one. Her feet slid backward in instinctual self preservation and she nearly jumped out of her skin when her back met Ben’s chest. She hadn’t heard him move at all, too fixed on the apparition ahead. The Force hummed around the lovers as she actively calmed her breathing to match her mate’s. His saber was still raised in challenge and she felt his gloved hand slide across her abdomen, encouraging her to move further into his protective embrace. Her skin tingled with need. _Alpha will protect us._

  
  


The smoky presence didn’t show any outward sign of acknowledging the gesture and merely shifted just slightly to address each Force user individually. 

  
  


“ _Kylo Ren, who sought power and then claimed it, as any worthy apprentice should - through blood! The dark side sings in your veins, yet you allow the light to corrupt you still. You covet it even now. Perhaps one stronger in the shadow shall bring you to your knees.”_

  
  


Ben’s hand clutched her tight enough to leave bruises. He glanced to the prone form of Ap’lek Ren, whose face was turned up in rapt attention. 

  
  


_“Ap’lek Ren, you have not yet succeeded in what you seek. Your Master lives. You remain one step from immortality. Will you suffer the fate of Darth Drear? Of your Brothers? Or are you worthy to ascend now?”_

  
  


At that, the Knight’s face broke into a snarl - directed squarely at Ben. His teeth were coated in that same viscous goo as the poor infected he’d left behind on the _Steadfast_ and Rey noticed his hands had decayed to little more than bone at this point. 

  
  


_“Rey of Jakku. I sense raw, limitless power within you and those emotions not belonging to the Jidai. Anger. Lust. Will you claim that power? Is Kylo Ren not also your Master? Have you not also drank from his knowledge?”_

  
  


She couldn’t tear her eyes away and her breath stuttered as she took in the words. _Was he her Master? He had taught her after all, directly and indirectly…_ **_No._ ** _She was a student of the Force._ She stepped out of Ben’s grasp and toward the Sith Lord. 

  
  


“I have no Master and I would **never** willingly hurt him again. I don’t want that power. You underestimate the light in us both - it will be your downfall!”

  
  


_“As you wish.”_

  
  


Darth Bane remained motionless and she foolishly allowed herself to hope just for a second that it might actually be that easy. That she would be allowed to refuse this fight. 

  
  


_“You will remain in the walls of the temple until the Rule of Two has been fulfilled. An apprentice must succeed the Master.”_

  
  


She bared her teeth, summoning the strength she had left to resist. 

  
  


Then a creeping sensation ghosted across her jaw. She kept the confusion off her face and brushed off the odd contact. The sensation tickled upward, becoming increasingly more present before settling at her temple. Rey continued to stare down the specter with less and less concealed apprehension as the phantom hand at her temple started to burn. She winced and gathered the Force more closely around her mental shields to shove off whatever attack he had planned, but she was exhausted and weak. The burning swiftly became an outright inferno that lanced directly through her frail walls. 

  
  
  


Something very wrong was happening to Rey. One moment his fiery girl was challenging yet another monster in his honor, and the next her body went rigid and her eyes closed, leaving her face terrifyingly blank. He reached out for the bond and recoiled. Instead of her welcoming warmth, he met an ice wall. He was being actively repelled. 

  
  


Her eyes shot open - and they _glowed._

  
  


He was so startled that his grip slipped on his saber and it shot straight into her waiting hand. 

  
  


A sinister grin spread unnaturally across her face as the blade ignited and she started to slowly circle him. A predator sizing up her prey. He gaped at her, blinded by the stark contrast between his Rey and _this_ imposter. 

  
  


With his Master’s attention consumed by the transformed _Jedi,_ Ap’lek decided to make his move. His withered hands were becoming more and more difficult to manipulate and his vision was clouded but vicious determination to annihilate, to _win_ , drove him forward. He needed to end this and rip that little bitch’s heart out before the Sickness took everything from him. He grasped the vibro axe with both shaky hands and threw his ragged body onto his failed leader’s back. 

  
  
  
  
  


Ben stumbled forward as a heavy weight dropped onto his shoulders and immediately started an aggressive assault. _Fuck!_ How could he be distracted enough to turn his back to an opponent mid fight? _Stupid stupid stupid_. 

  
  


He pitched to one side, trying to tilt the other man off balance as he fended off desperate poorly aimed slashes from the familiar weapon. Ap’lek’s desperation made him dangerous but it also sapped his already dwindling strength and Ben was able to pry the axe out of his skeletal grip and flung him to the stone floor. His boot collided with the Knight’s chest, pressing him further into the ground while he coughed out thick globs of slime and blood. Ben settled the axe a hair's breadth away from Ap’lek’s exposed neck. 

  
  


“The only eternity you’ll see is the eternity of _death_.”

  
  


He plunged the blade forward, separating his former Brother’s head from his body. The light in his crimson eyes faded and he felt a brief thought of _failure,_ but also of _mercy_ float through from the last of his consciousness. _A merciful death, as promised._

  
  


He looked up to see Not-Rey taking in the scene casually - almost giddy. It was unnerving. They stood across from one another, weapons in hand, and slid into opening stances. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Finn had had _enough_ spooky darkside bantha shit for one day _thank you_ and even though he was a tiny bit scared - ok, maybe a little more than tiny - he couldn’t sit back and do nothing while his best friend was being possessed into killing her mate. He couldn’t manipulate the Force but he could definitely work a blaster. Not that he knew if ghosts were susceptible to blaster bolts… were they? _Doesn’t matter!_ He straightened his spine, lifted his weapon to Darth Whoever and let out a dozen bolts in quick succession, all with perfect aim. 

  
  
  
  


And of course, the bolts froze and redirected back into the walls of the temple. Ben and Rey didn’t even flinch. Which meant the Sith Lord’s attention was focused entirely on him. 

  
  


_“How noble. Unfortunately, this is not your fight. You are a mere spectator to this glorious trial.”_

  
  


He wanted to retort but faltered as the familiar feeling in his extremities of the Force freezing him in place took over. He struggled against it, helpless except to passively observe the doomed spectacle. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Ben would never hurt her. Never again. His strikes were only aimed to redirect and defend, never to attack. Rey was a naturally gifted duelist, he knew from experience. She was lightning quick and agile and fought to _survive_ , using every trick and advantage in her arsenal. While he relied on his years of rigorous training and experience, she was all instinct. 

  
  


_This_ Rey, however, was an enigma. Her moves were clearly not her own and Ben found he had to rapidly switch up his expectations to engage an unknown opponent. An unknown opponent who just happened to be using Rey extremely skillfully to try and kill him. 

  
  


Her hits were surprising in their force and a few too many near misses signaled the deadly pull of exhaustion he couldn’t shake. How long could this continue? Would Bane’s influence run out? Could Rey physically survive it? Could he?

  
  


An invisible hand wrapped unforgivingly around his throat, squeezing tighter and tighter until his vision started to grow hazy and dim around the edges. The Force slipped from his grasp and he closed his eyes, imagining the true face of the woman he loved. He saw her sparkling hazel eyes and the light smattering of freckles across her cheeks. The dazzling genuine smile she wore whenever their eyes met. 

  
  


He relinquished control, wrapping his _love_ , his utter _devotion,_ his _hope_ in the potential for a beautiful future for them into the blazing light he guarded so closely, and thrust it straight through the wall between their bond. 

  
  


At the same moment, the saber Rey had raised in an executioner’s hold began its swift descent. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


And caught on a brilliant blue blade. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another unexpected guest or two arrive to pitch in.

It wasn’t the hum of another lightsaber that startled Rey awake. 

  
  


It was a feeling so strong and all encompassing that her body literally shook with the power of it. 

  
  


And when she woke, that beautiful feeling was replaced by horror. She blinked rapidly at the image of Ben kneeling before her, awaiting his death at her hand. A mirror image of when she had done the same looking up at him on the _Supremacy_ \- but whereas Ben refused to strike her down then, she was mere inches away from actually cutting him down. _Oh Maker! How?! Why?!_

  
  


And Leia had saved him from her. She wielded her own saber so elegantly, so determined to protect him. _What if she hadn’t made it in time? I could have - I would have…_ The hilt of his saber slipped from her hands as she choked out a sob. 

  
  


She searched his face looking for the inevitable sting of betrayal and anger he must feel toward her but instead found relief… and the remnants of the wondrous feeling that broke her out of the bloodthirsty spell. 

  
  


“Oh Ben! Oh Maker, I’m so, so sorry! How? I almost… _Ben_!” Rey crumpled to her knees in front of him, blubbering apologies between cries. He didn’t hesitate and pulled her into his arms with whispered words of forgiveness. 

  
  


“I know. I know. It wasn’t you.”

  
  


His touch drew goosebumps across her skin. She watched his eyes dilate as a sharp insistent cramp broke through and she whimpered. Her face flushed at the spike in his scent and her gland _throbbed_. I’ve _waited_ **_so_ ** _long, please Alpha._

  
  
  
  


“I’m afraid you’ll need to hold off on that just a bit longer! Sorry I’m late, I needed to pick something up on the way.” Leia gestured nonchalantly to Chewie behind her, who roared warmly in greeting. 

  
  


The family reunion was chilled abruptly by Darth Bane’s sinister voice. 

  
  


_“Your bond is not one forged in training. There was a prophecy long ago foreseeing a dyad in the Force. A power like life itself. A power to_ **_restore_ ** _life…”_

  
  


Brown eyes met hazel and the dyad nodded in tandem. Ben picked up his saber and rose slowly, offering his hand to his other half. She pulled herself up on slightly wobbly legs ready to face the ghoulish creature together. Leia pressed her own weapon firmly into Rey’s palm and she fought the temptation to reach out and hug her. _Fight now, hug later._ She gave her a grateful smile and turned to stand with Ben. 

With the bond wide open they began to breathe in sync. Ben felt himself drift further into the Force with her and steeled himself for the Sith Lord’s inevitable attack. He wouldn’t take this from them. The bond was theirs and he wouldn’t let it be corrupted. Rey’s own determination to protect flowed through him as they lit their sabers in unison. 

  
  


The shadow sneered at the display and released a scornful laugh - a vile, warped sound that slithered across the walls of the chamber. He raised a phantom hand and the Force around the pair began to shiver violently. 

  
  


Rey flinched in preparation for the assault. At first, she wasn’t sure he was actually doing anything, but a niggling sensation at the back of her neck implored her to _pay attention!_ All at once, her ability to feel the mystical energy in all things plummeted to nearly nothing. Her limbs felt heavy and her lungs struggled to pull in enough oxygen. She felt like she was being _drained_ . Like her very essence was being siphoned out at an alarming rate. The realization came sharply. _He’s - he’s_ **_feeding_ ** _on us!_

  
  


Her mind reeled as she tugged desperately at their connection and realized how _thin_ , how _fragile_ it was becoming. Ben obviously felt it too and reached out for her hand, trying to summon their combined strength to push back against the onslaught. 

  
  


But they were too weak. It wasn’t enough. 

  
  
  


_“...there is peace...”_

  
  


Rey looked to Ben, unsure if he’d spoken aloud. His brows were furrowed. 

  
  


_“... there is no death, there is the Force…”_

  
  


The whispers surrounded them, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere. 

  
  


Suddenly, the chamber was filled with an ethereal glow. She whipped around to seek out the source and let out a startled gasp at the sight that met her. 

  
  


_Jedi._ The Force apparitions of hundreds of Jedi who had been sacrificed by the Sith Lords of old now stood with them, ready to lend their strength. Ready to ensure balance. 

  
  


Rey clutched Ben’s hand tighter and embraced the brilliant light encircling them. He slid his eyes closed and let the light burn through him. 

  
  
  
  


Darth Bane’s arm momentarily dropped in shock before he gathered the darkness to him once more and struck out with vicious fury. 

  
  
  
  


His strike was met with a massive pulse of Force energy - the radiance so warm and blinding that it disintegrated every last shred of the Sith Lord’s presence, banishing him back to the realm of the dead for all eternity. 

  
  


The pressure in the chamber immediately became lighter, still chilled with the remnants of the darkside but no longer hostile. It just _was_. 

  
  


Ben snatched Rey into his arms with a crushing grip. Tears streamed down her lovely face and he found his own cheeks were wet as they sagged to the floor in utter relief. He kissed every inch of her face over and over and her responding giggles made his heart swell. Such a small inconsequential sound and one he almost thought he’d never hear again.

  
  


“What was that?” She pulled away just slightly to gesture at the now empty room. 

  
  


“It was almost like a Force meld… but with Force ghosts? The combined strength of many powerful Jedi. I’ve never heard anything like it with living and dead together. I didn’t know it was possible.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  


“FINALLY!” 

  
  


Rey’s head snapped to the back of the chamber where a clearly relieved Finn was shaking out his stiff limbs. She crossed the distance to him and hugged him tightly. 

  
  


“Finn! You’re ok! Oh Force, what happened?”

  
  


“Apparently these darksiders can’t resist the opportunity to go around freezing whoever they want whenever it suits them. Honestly, it’s getting _really_ old.”

  
  


“Oh Finn, I’m so happy to see you! _Thank you_. I’m so sorry I had to leave you like that on Ajan Kloss. I couldn’t let them take you from me too.”

  
  


“Well if you get any other stupid ideas like trying to take on the entire kriffing Knights of Ren again, give your friend a heads up next time and we’ll call it even.”

  
  


They traded bright smiles before returning to the others. 

  
  
  
  


“How did you get through the temple?”

  
  


“Honestly Benjamin, I did help bring down the Empire if you remember!”

  
  


Chewie utterered a series of amused howls. 

  
  


**_Princess is right, nothing compared to some of the scrapes I got out of with Han!_ **

  
  


Leia rolled her eyes but chuckled at the remark. The mention of her husband left a sadness in the air and she struggled not to falter at the reminder that Chewbacca and Han would never again rush off in search of another hair brained adventure. As if reading her thoughts, the Wookie let out a low mournful sound. 

  
  


“Uncle Chewie - I, I’m so sorry. I thought I had to and I was so wrong. I miss him. I miss him everyday and I’m sorry I took him away from you.”

  
  


His father’s best friend rushed forward and lifted him cleanly off his feet. Ben felt impossibly small in his arms, reminded of so many times his Uncle had done this in the past. _When was the last time he hugged him?_ He buried his face in the familiar coarse hair and let his tears fall unbidden. It occurred to him that Chewie might have needed this moment just as much as he did. 

**_Where’s the Falcon? Only saw the Grimtaash. Surprised to see it after all these years._ **

  
  


**** “Oh, I uh, sort of had to leave it behind on the _Steadfast_ …”

  
  


**_Give you our ship for one day and you lose it!_ **

  
  


**** “Hey, dad lost it too!”

  
  


**_Solos!_ **

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Sooo did you kick that Knight’s ass or what?”

A disheveled and slightly pale Kirn appeared in the doorway, peering around the chamber in confusion. 

  
  


Ben shook his head and with a chuckle and went to help support his still woozy friend. 

  
  


“Something like that.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The trek back to the _Grimtaash_ was significantly less harried but no less urgent. They needed to get off this cursed planet and Ben needed to get… to Rey. He fought the urge to just sweep her up in his arms and run to his ship but he wasn’t confident he’d be able to resist his eager Omega for much longer. She was so _warm,_ so _ready._ Her desire was tenacious through the bond, where images of them engaged in various stages of coupling shot across her mind into his. _Sweetheart, you’re going to kill me._ She blushed so prettily. 

  
  


He suppressed a groan and distracted himself by comming Aftab about their impending arrival. The Mon Calamari’s relief was palpable as he spotted the entirety of their group returned safe. 

  
  


Finn started to retell the events of the last few hours with great embellishment, a trait that reminded Ben of Dameron, but his attention was drawn elsewhere. 

  
  
  
  


“ _Alpha…_ **_please_ **.”

  
  


Her plea spurred him into action. No time for pleasantries. He pulled off his shirt - eliciting an indelicate _gasp_ from a still drugged Rose - and wrapped Rey in it. She immediately pulled it to her nose, inhaling deeply as her eyes began to roll back. He tilted her chin to make sure she was listening to his command.

“ _Omega, you will go into the crew cabin and wait for me there.”_

  
  


Rey nodded eagerly and rushed off to comply. He turned back to address the others, who were already gathering their belongings.

  
  


“Don’t worry about us, we totally get it. We’ll hitch a ride with the General.” 

Kirn smirked a bit as he tugged Asonna off the ship with him. Ben wanted to tell him how grateful he was, but his focus was too wrapped up in his mate and getting the rest of the people keeping him from from her delectable embrace off the _kriffing_ ship. 

  
  


Aftab and Finn thankfully got the message loud and clear and assisted a grinning Rose down the ramp and over to Leia’s waiting transport. He didn’t even wait to see the ramp close before tearing back through the corridor. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


For the first time in days she could actually relax. She was safe and Ben and her were together again. The First Order had imploded from the inside and were no longer the looming threat razing the galaxy. 

  
  


But Rey did **not** want to relax. She didn’t need _rest_ or _food_ or anything except _Alpha._ She needed him _right_ _kriffing_ _now_. 

  
  


And what was he doing? Not giving her what she needed. All he left her with was this stupid shirt and _oh Maker it smells so kriffing good._ She wantonly rubbed the enticing fabric all over her heated skin, luxuriating in the feeling of their scents combining. She wanted to touch. _No, Alpha said wait._ She would be good. She would wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I know I said I would finish by Halloween buuuut obviously that didn’t happen. Stick with me, we’re almost there! Glorious heat smut is up next.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smutty smut smut and feelings.

Rey didn’t even notice when Ben entered the room.

  
  


She was much too absorbed in the most _essential_ piece of fabric she’d ever come across. The black shirt was filthy and covered in sweat but none of that mattered. What mattered was the utterly intoxicating scent contained within. One of the sleeves was already soaked from where she’d gotten a little too eager and sucked it into her mouth, needing to extract every drop of _Alpha_ she could possibly get. She busied her fingers with keeping a tight grip on the material to stop them from drifting to her dripping center. The leggings she was still wearing were soaked in her want and she desperately rubbed her thighs together to remove some of the tension. The friction of the rough fabric against her just barely took the edge off and she started to plead to the air. _Please Alpha,_ **_please hurry._ **

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


When Ben reached the last obstacle standing between him and his waiting mate, he nearly cracked the door panel with the force of his slap. He barreled into the room toward her but froze at the sight of her lithe body stretched across the bed, writhing shamelessly against his shirt. His presence hadn’t been detected yet and he marveled at the tantalizing way she dragged the material across her flushed skin. He noticed her hands haven’t wandered and he wanted to praise her obedience. 

“You’re such a good girl waiting for me _Omega._ ”

  
  


Her eyes flew open and he saw her inhale deeply. A small whine escaped her when her eyes settled on his bare chest. He’s proud of his body and seeing the lustful appreciation in her gaze made his Alpha preen. 

  
  


The rustle of her leggings rubbing together drew his attention and he decided she was _extremely_ overdressed. 

  
With a snarl that made her squeal, he tore the offending items from her body, tossing them haphazardly around the room. His eyes greedily raked over her supple curves and settled on her throbbing gland. He darkly thought she should always be naked like this and what an outright crime it was to cover her sun kissed figure. 

  
  


Moving to cover her luscious body with his own, he settled his still clothed bottom half up against the nakedness of her sex. She groaned at the heat of his rapidly growing erection against her and tried to roll her hips but his rough hands held them in place. 

  
  


“Patience, my love.”

  
  


A frustrated huff from her made him chuckle lowly and he removed his hold from her hips to slide up the length of her torso, pulling her arms above her head and securing her wrists in the firm grip of one large hand. Rey whimpered as his bare chest rubbed against her pebbling nipples and vaguely wondered if she might die if he didn’t just _touch_ her soon. 

  
  


_“Please Alpha, touch me, please Ben!”_

  
  


He met her pleading eyes with a wicked grin before dipping his head to catch her lips in a rough kiss. She automatically opened her mouth to him and he tangled their tongues together, nipping at her bottom lip when she needs to gasp for air. 

  
  


When his tongue rolled across her mating gland she saw stars, biting down the moan the attention elicits. Ben seemed to take this as a challenge and dragged his teeth across it instead, and _oh,_ that got a much less concealed reaction. Her moan was accompanied by a shudder and he wanted, _needed_ to hear more. 

“Do you know how much I want to taste you? You’re going to cum from my tongue and then I’m going to fuck your sweet _tight_ little pussy. Do you want that, _Omega?”_

_“_ Gods _yes, yes, please!”_

  
  


“Good girl. Now play with those pretty little tits for me.”

  
  


Rey nodded eagerly at his directions and he released his grip on her wrists so she cod do as he commands. She pinched a rosy nipple between her fingers and gasped lightly at his approving nod. As he slid down between her thighs, she spread her legs wider to grant him as much access as possible and his pupils dilated at the sight of her glistening sex on display. _For you Alpha, only you._

  
  


He smoothed his hands over her stomach, down over her thighs and settled them under her knees, locking her in place. She quivered as he placed himself at eye level to her aching cunt and glanced up at her. His gaze is decidedly predatory and she _likes_ it. She wants to be his prey. 

  
  


He slid two fingers through her folds before bringing the slick coated digits to his mouth and sucking the nectar from them. She was just so _sweet_ and so _wet - perfect. His Omega was perfect._

She was positively dripping with need, instinctually canting her hips toward his plush lips and he lowered his mouth to lick a long firm stripe up her center. The hands on her breasts shot out to clutch his ebony locks, encouraging him to continue. He hummed at her needful grip and swirled his tongue over her little bundle of nerves over and over until she arched her back and begged him for _more_. 

  
  


He rubbed his fingers in the slick at her entrance before pushing two long thick digits into her velvet heat. Rey let out a high pitched whine and he thrusted into her faster, adding a third finger when her whines got more desperate. Her whines turned into chants of _yes yes yes oh Ben yes please Benbenbeneben_ and she fell apart with a sob when he sucked her swollen clit into his hungry mouth. 

  
  


He waited for her to come back to herself before freeing his painfully hard erection and tossing the last of his clothing to the floor. He settled himself on the bed beside her and Rey licked her lips at the sight of his thick cock straining to be inside her. 

  
  


“I want you to ride me. Make yourself cum on my cock.” 

  
  


Rey placed a chaste kiss to the head of his dick that made him twitch and scrambled to straddle him. She steadied herself over him with one palm on his muscular chest and one hand greedily gripping his throbbing length to place him at her entrance. She was so slick and ready that he slipped inside with relative ease, the slight stretch delicious as he bottomed out. His fingertips dug into her hips as she adjusted to his size and slowly rolled against him. 

  
  


He growled low in his throat when her rhythm sped up and he met the swirl of her curves with his own rapidly intensifying thrusts. He cradled the soft swell of her breast, thumbing her taut nipple and reveling in the shiver it pulled from her. Their bodies continued to move in tandem and he felt her starting to crest… just one little _push_ -

  
  


His hand left her breast and glided upward to her throat, carefully wrapping his fingers around it and applying just the slightest pressure. Not enough to cut off her airflow but enough that she knew he was the one in charge. She gasped and it felt delightfully wicked, like she was toeing the line between life and death, trusting him not to push too far. Her Omega needed this - _he_ needed this. To control. He could take whatever he wanted and she’d gladly give it. 

  
  


She clutched the hand at her throat as she begged him _don’t stop, harder, pleaseplease_ and her second orgasm overtook her. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Rey was so beautiful falling apart, blooming with unrestrained pleasure and he thanks his lucky fucking stars that he was the only one who would ever give her this. 

  
  


She was still convulsing around him when he whispered his intention to take her from behind. She couldn’t speak, too lost in her body to find words yet. An image of the last time they were together like that flickered from her mind to his and she laced her desire through it. His dark eyes bore into hers as she saw his immediate reaction and in a flash she found herself on all fours. Ben buried his cock back inside her dripping core and thrust into her ruthlessly. The sounds that came from her were filthy and she clung to the sheets to keep from being fucked headfirst into the mattress. 

  
  


Ben gripped her soft tresses tightly, but not painfully so, tugging her face back enough to meet her lips while he continued to fuck her. The arch of her back was exquisite as he snapped his hips against her pert round ass. He released her swollen lips to suck hard on her enlarged gland and she _screamed_ at the sudden contact. He sensed her arms begin to give out and pulled her back up against his chest. Her head fell back to his shoulder and he nipped eagerly at her exposed throat. 

  
  


“Ben! _Alpha! Oh Gods, oh_ **_Ben_ , **_I’m s-so close!”_

  
  


With one arm firmly holding her to him, he used his other hand to rapidly circle her overly sensitive clit. She keened, low and long and desperate as the extra attention pushed her over the edge and her cunt spasmed wildly around him. He fucked her through her orgasm, his knot catching more and more on her fluttering walls until he was unable to resist the tug any longer. With one last hard thrust into her tight heat he roared his own inflated release and sagged against her, luxuriating in their shared pleasure. 

  
  
  
  


Carefully, he lowered their entwined bodies to the bed, rolling so that they were both comfortably on their sides. Rey sighed deeply and he pulled her closer, leaving a trail of soft kisses on any and all skin he could reach. His fingers skimmed languidly over her body and Rey hummed in contentment. 

  
  


A bruise across her ribs drew his attention and a fierce burst of protective rage crashed through him - and a sense of failure. He failed to keep her safe. He might as well have inflicted the injury himself! 

  
  


Rey’s slender fingers on his cheek entreated him to look at her. Her hazel eyes were full of fire. 

  
  


“ _No._ No, Ben. You didn’t fail. You came after me. You fought that Knight. You - you would have let me _kill_ you instead of hurting me!”

  
  


Tears filled her eyes and her lips trembled and all he could feel from her was shame at the memory of standing over him with his own saber, raised to strike him down. 

  
  


“Hey, none of that sweetheart. I would do it again. I told you I know it wasn’t you. You fought so hard; you are so strong.”

  
  


Rey nodded slowly against his chest, letting him swipe the wetness off her cheeks. His movements were so gentle and she heard him whispering words of love through the bond. He felt his knot deflate and kissed her temple. 

  
  


“C’mon, this ship has a hydro fresher. Relax and let me wash all this away.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The water was blissfully warm and soothing on her aching muscles. Ben sat on the floor, and positioned her gingerly into his lap. He was still half hard against her and she wanted to chase the faint stir of desire that instilled in her, but that thought was abruptly halted by exhaustion. He beckoned her to lean her slight weight against his chest and she allowed herself to melt into his embrace. He worked shampoo gently through her tangled hair, carefully working out the snags and scrubbing the scent of the temple off.

He placed ardent kisses to each new mark and bruise exposed by the soap that cleansed her body and she had never felt more loved, more cherished than this moment. When the water grew cold he tenderly dried her and carried her to bed. 

  
  


“I love you, Rey.” 

  
  


“I know.” She replied aloud and through the bond _I love you, Ben._

  
  
  


Her eyelids grew heavy under his caresses and she finally, _finally,_ allowed herself to rest. _Alpha will keep us safe._

  
  


  
  
  
  
  


Her lean body was slack against him, exhausted and utterly spent. Damp chestnut hair was sprawled across his chest and her dewy skin glowed against his. The steady beat of her heart in time with his own filled him with such a sense of _completeness._ Adoration swelled within him and he was awestruck at her strength over the last few days and how fiercely she’d fought for herself, her friends - for him. _His incredible and fearsome mate._ He felt pure gratitude that such an incandescent angel would choose him despite all his sins. 

A soft sigh left her rosy lips and he pulled her slender frame closer to him, placing a gentle kiss to the crown of her head. The bond around them hummed in contentment and he allowed himself to drift off with his beloved finally safely back in his arms. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I bumped up our chapter count a bit because everyone deserves a happy ending and I intend to give it to them.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poes witnesses the end of the First Order firsthand.

Before departing the _Steadfast_ for Moraband, Ap’lek Ren had sent out a distress signal under Hux’s signature to the remaining First Order Navy, requesting immediate reinforcements. He knew the Resistance would take the opportunity to try to destroy his achievements and wanted to ensure his eternal army would survive to greet him when he returned in all his immortal glory. 

When reinforcements arrived and found no fire and complete radio silence from the _Star Destroyers_ already on site, the Resistance attempted to hail several vessels and present the news that not only had _Supreme Leader Hux_ been disposed by one of their own, but that the crews had deliberately been infected by an Imperial bioweapon and perished. 

  
  


The unimaginable decimation of so many of their own soldiers by a member of the First Order was met with immediate horrified denial by the responding officers - although it was true that Hux hadn’t been in contact with _anyone_ in days, which was highly unusual…

  
  


Allegiant General Pryde ordered a squad of stormtroopers to investigate the conditions aboard one of the disturbingly silent ships, the _Harbinger_. The trip took only a few tense minutes and Poe was certain he felt every single person on the open comm line hold their breaths in unison. 

  
  


“Sir, we’re approaching the main hangar now. Several troopers and officers present. It appears that some sort of confrontation has taken place. The area is covered in… an unknown substance and the crew are behaving in an unusual manner. What are your orders, sir?”

  
  


“Investigate the area and interview crew on site.”

  
  


The sound of the transport shuttle docking and the steady beat of boots on durasteel abruptly turned into shouting, blaster fire, inhuman screaming - 

  
  


and dead silence. 

  
  
  
  


The feed was swiftly cut off but not quickly enough to not be noticed by several stunned bridge crew. The details spread like wildfire across all levels of the ship and the _Conquerer_ erupted into chaos, both officers and troopers reacting to the news that their comrades had been betrayed on such a massive and gruesome scale. They had always been cogs in the brutal war machine of the First Order, subject to constant punishing trainings and programming, but this was treachery that even the most loyal cadet refused to accept. They rebelled, unwilling to lay down their lives to fight the Resistance when their enemies were so much closer. 

  
  


Requests for immediate assistance from the other vessels rang out as the crews continued to turn on their higher ups. One communications officer had the unfortunate task of revealing that _more than a dozen_ of their sister vessels had fallen under stormtrooper control. 

  
  


Pushing aside yet another atrocity he had witnessed over his proud military career, General Pryde commanded the bridge sealed and turned his attention to the amassed Resistance forces. The forces who were responsible for the cries of mutiny ripping apart **_his_ ** fleet. 

  
  


The First Order would not fall under his watch. He would not surrender. 

  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“ **HELL YEAH!** You see that BB-8?”

  
  


Poe whooped again as he watched the last _Star Destroyer_ be disabled by a handful of perfectly timed ion torpedoes by an _X-Wing_ he didn’t recognize. The same unknown pilot he witnessed effortlessly evade each and every armament thrown at him without so much as a close call. 

  
  


“ ** _Red Three_ ** **,** this is Commander Poe Dameron.”

  
  


“Well hey there, Commander. Evren Darklighter - call me Evie.”

  
  


“That was some fancy flying, Evie. I’ve never seen another pilot deploy that many ion torpedoes in one rotation and actually have every single one hit the target.”

  
  


“Can’t say I blame you for being so impressed. I hear you _were_ the best pilot in the Resistance before I came along. See you planetside, _flyboy_.”

  
  


The comm went silent and Poe was left momentarily stunned by the exchange. _Were_ the best pilot in the Resistance? He shook his head as BB-8 trilled out some less than polite binary directed toward the hotshot pilot who dared to insult his best friend. 

  
  


He couldn’t be that upset though since she _did_ effectively disable the _Conqueror._ The last enemy holdout would now have no choice but to surrender.

  
  
  


Or so he believed. 

  
  
  


He didn’t consider that General Pryde, unable to accept defeat, had calmly requested the top ranking officers’ codes to engage the self destruct mechanism as soon as the shield generator deactivated. The Resistance’s moment of victory rapidly descended into one of abject horror as the _Star Destroyer_ exploded, leaving no survivors. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The victory felt hollow with the loss of so many lives. Normally, the death toll so heavily weighted in their favor would have been something to celebrate. Taking lives wasn’t something he’d ever gotten used to, but if it was his men or theirs, of course he’d always prefer theirs to fall. Finn had radically shifted that view when he risked his life to help him escape and showed him that stormtroopers were _people_ underneath all that plastoid. 

  
  


How many Finns had died today? The _Conqueror_ could have been filled with troopers and officers who were just like him - who saw what the First Order was doing was wrong, who wanted a choice… who wanted a _life._ The rest of the First Order Navy had surrendered, whether unable to challenge the mutinies onboard or because the higher ranking officials realized that they could have easily been victims of the devastating virus themselves. General Pryde’s final brutal action was a sobering reminder of exactly how disposable their lives were under the regime they served.

  
  


Poe shook his head to clear his thoughts and pulled himself out of the cockpit. He slid to the forest floor, taking in Kashyyyk for the first time as a grown man. It was no less enchanting now, even with the cloud of loss overhead. He was surrounded by other Resistance fighters in various stages of emotions over the day’s events and he started in on his standard post-mission sweep - searching for the ships and faces of his friends. Poe didn’t see any of Ben’s group yet and he hoped they were successful. He had to believe they were. 

  
  


He was considering all the things that could have gone wrong when he spots the _X-Wing_ from earlier. The hatch was just opening and a female form started to disembark. She took off her helmet and Poe was rendered completely speechless for the first time in his life. His stomach felt like he just abruptly pulled out of a barrel roll a second too soon and he gripped the side of his _X-Wing_ to keep his knees from buckling. 

  
  


Evie was _gorgeous_. 

  
  


No, not just gorgeous. 

  
  


She was breathtaking. Every star in the galaxy would dim in her presence; he’s sure of it. Her hair was wild and the most brilliant shade of red he had ever seen. It swept across her tanned skin, lighting up dancing emerald eyes. 

  
  


The impossibly magnificent woman focused those bewitching eyes on him and suddenly he _sees_ it.

  
He sees them standing together, under the uneti tree by his childhood home on _Yavin 4_ , hands clasped, as he pledges himself to her for all the days of his life.

He sees himself slip his mother’s ring onto her waiting finger, finally, _finally_ at rest.

He sees Evie’s brilliant smile as she holds out their firstborn child to meet his _Papa_ for the first time.

His entire life yet to come flashes before him and Poe can only stare in awe. 

  
  


Eyes closed to clear away the pricking tears and terrifying hope, he clutched Shara Bey’s ring so tightly the chain around his neck snapped. The next shuddering breath wasfull of _her._ Her scent was fierce and full of fire and he wanted to bury his nose at the source. She smelled like _home_ and he opened his eyes to her, finding the same tearful expression mirrored back. 

  
  


_She feels it too._

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be the final chapter but as I wrote it I just felt like this one belonged to Poe. 
> 
> One more chapter for our crew and we’re done.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it... the end... and the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note - if you’ve been following along while this was a work in progress, I’ve spent the last week doing edits and revisions to earlier chapters. Nothing significant has changed, but I’ve expanded in some areas, cleared things up and fixed up (most) technical errors. It wouldn’t hurt to read from the beginning to enjoy as a finished piece, but I hope it was fun either way.

Landing on Kashyyyk gave Leia an immediate feeling of deja vu.

  
  


She saw the former stormtrooper Finn rush a still dazed Rose to the nearest medical tent and felt his emotions bubble over soon after when he discovered that not only was she clear of any remaining Sickness, but that he was going to become a father.

  
  


She saw the dashing pilot she’d witnessed grow into a man so brave and full of heart, holding a young woman with blazing red hair in a painfully intimate embrace. _Oh Shara, you would be so proud of your son._

  
  


She saw her husband’s best friend finally reunited with his wife and son after too many years apart. A hint of amusement fell over her when she heard him gruffly relay that Ben had somehow managed to lose the _Falcon_ for good - a feat not even Han had been able to achieve. 

  
  


She saw young and old, royalty and slaves, species from the inner rim and those from wild space, all united in this moment of hopeful peace. 

  
  


Leia thought of Ben and how mother and son could work side by side to restore the galaxy - to build together instead of destroy. She had finally been able to be there for her boy when he needed her and vowed to continue to be present, like she always _should_ have been, for the rest of her days. 

  
  


Of course, once he and Rey were ready to return, that is. She chuckled at the reminder that he’d all but Force shoved everyone out of the _Grimtaash_ to have some much earned alone time with his brilliant warrior girl. _Definitely his father’s son_. 

  
  


The thought of Han brought forth another series of memories and she fondly remembered another lush forest scene from so long ago where a celebration just like this had taken place. Just as she did then, she felt the static of the Force connecting her with those who had already passed through the veil. She saw Luke’s face on every impossibly daring pilot; Han in every soldier who clearly had used up more than their fair share of luck. Every single life lost to the cause over too many years celebrated with them. She felt her family’s embraces all around her and knew she wasn’t walking alone. 

  
  


Relief and joy fluttered around the gathered allies but she also sensed that ever present undercurrent of bone deep sorrow that would never truly leave those who had suffered so much. She wanted to believe that one day their losses wouldn’t hang so heavy, that their good days would finally outweigh the bad. 

  
  


That they - and the galaxy - would finally know peace. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Where to, Scavenger? Just say the word and we’ll go.”

  
  


Rey feigned mock anger at the nickname and Ben’s easy laugh made her heart clench. 

  
  


Because they could actually have this. 

  
  


They could have _this_ without the constant danger lurking overhead, the pressure from both sides to fit a certain role, the pull to the dark and the light tearing them apart. Without the deep heartbreaking sorrow that came from being forced apart like the two halves of the crystal they’d mended together.

  
  


The lighthearted moment abruptly shifted and Rey met her mate’s dark stare with tears in her eyes. He felt every one of her emotions through the bond and they were so bright and overwhelming that his own eyes grew wet. He clutched her to him tightly, the bond and the Force humming in contentment and perfect balance. 

  
  


It felt impossible that they had somehow managed to actually get here. An unbelievable dream come true. The Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and The Last Jedi Rey of Jakku had defied every odd to finally reach the place they’d always been destined to arrive. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Just Ben and Rey, together in balance... 

  
  
  
  


And _free._

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe this is over!
> 
> I want to thank each and every one of you - from your comments and messages, to your helpful advice and unfailingly positive support. It’s been so wonderful to have you all on this journey with me and I hope you enjoyed my version of the Happily Ever After our favorite space couple and friends should have gotten.
> 
> Until next time... May the Force Be With You.


End file.
